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COVENTRY  CO-OPERATIVE 
SOCIETY,    LIMITED. 


JUBILEE    HISTORY. 


A   Toast, 


The  cause  oj  Co-operation  :  May  it  he 
pursued  by  those  engaged  in  it  with  a  ivide 
sense  of  its  power,  and  of  its  numerous 
modes  of  application  for  the  improvement 
of  the  masses  of  the  people." 

Birmingham  Congress  Dinner,  1871. 


COVENTRY    PERSEVERANCE 
CO-OPERATIVE    SOCIETY,    LIMITED. 


JUBILEE  HISTORY 

1867—1917. 


1867 
Registered 
Society  Constituted 
Business  Commenced 


1917 


Jubilee 


March  14. 
March  19. 
April  5. 

March   19. 


Printed  for  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society,  Limited, 

and  Published  by  them   at  their  Registered  Office, 

Central  Stores,    West  Orchard,   in   the 

City  and  County  of  Coventry, 

March  ,1917. 


PRESS    OF    THE 

BIRMINGHAM    PRINTERS,   LIMITED, 

42,   HILL    STREET. 


1 


Foreword 


By  the  President. 

Some  historians  are  of  opinion  that  the  true  method  of 
study  is  to  start  from  the  present  and  retrace  a  move- 
ment to  its  origins,  as  one  would  weigh  anchor  in  the 
Thames  Estuary  and  voyage  up  the  river  to  its  sources 
in  the  Cotswold  Hills. 

In  this-  book,  however,  it  has  been  decided  to  start 
at  the  beginning,  follow  the  progress  and  development 
of  the  Co-operative  Movement  in  Coventry,  and  chronicle 
its  achievements. 

While  the  record  is  mainly  one  of  facts,  a  perusal  of 
its  pages  will  doubtless  result  in  the  conclusion  that 
sober  history-  is  not  alwws  devoid  of  romance. 

The  volume  will  also  be  a  permanent  memorial  of 
the  founders  and  workers  in  a  great  cause,  and  tend  to 
a  more  adequate  appreciation  of  a  democratic  triumph. 
Democratic,  in  that  Co-operation  is  fundamentally 
"  popular,"  supreme  power  being  vested  in  the  members 


Vin.  FOREWORD  ♦ 

collectively  ;  and  a  triumph  because  the  Co-operative 
Movement  is  now  both  extensive  and  important. 

It  may  be  hoped  that  this  Jubilee  History  will  tend 
also  to  a  clearer  realisation  of  the  advantages  which 
the  present  members  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance 
Co-operative  Society  enjoy,  and  prove  an  incentive  to 
future  effort. 

Co-operation  is  capable  of  being  mightier  yet  for  the 
public  good  ;  and  so  long  as  co-operators  are  united 
and  faithful  to  their  principles  will  the  movement 
continue  to  flourish. 

There  is  significance  in  our  motto  : — 

"  EACH  FOR  ALL,  AND  ALL  FOR  EACH." 


Contents. 


PAGE 

Chapter  I.       Need  of  Social  Reform    i 

The  Working  Classes  Half  a  Century  ago — Misery 
and  Discontent — Poor  Food — High  Prices — -Low 
Wages — Social   Conditions. 

Chapter  II.     Coventry  in  the  Sixties    6 

City's  Distress — Decreasing  Population — Gleams  of 
Hope — ^Co-operation . 

Chapter  III.     Co-operation  Defined      12 

What  Co-operation  is — •"  Secret  of  Social  Develop- 
ment " — The  ^Movement. 

Chapter  IV.     Rochdale  Pioneers  17 

Efforts  of  the  Flannel  Weavers — System — -Success — 
Spread  of  the  Movement. 

Chapter  V.     Early  Local  Efforts         21 

Various  Co-operative  Societies — Their  Failures — 
"  Labourers  and  Artizans  " — Lockhurst  Lane — 
Curious  Experiences. 

Chapter  VI.     Early  Local  Advocates 29 

John  Watts — -John  Coher  Earn — Charles  Shuffle- 
botham,  and  others. 

Chapter  VII.     Germ  of  a  Great  Enterprise    ....     39 

Young  Men's  Societies  and  Social  Progress — 
Inception  of  New  Local  Movement — Sowing  of 
Seed. 

Chapter  VIII.     Starting  the  "  Perseverance  " 

Society        45 

Original  48  members — First  Officers — Capital 
Funds — Confident  Views. 

Chapter  IX.     Beginning  Business         52 

Cook  Street  Store — -Buying-in  and  selhng-out — 
Committee-men  as  Shop  Assistants — "  Examiner 
of  Goods  " — Prices — Fear  of  Wealth — Results  of 
Tradmg — -Bonus   declared — Pork   Butchering. 


X.  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter  X.     First  Public  Meeting         63 

Tea.  Oratory,  and  Song  in  St.  Mary's  Hall — First 
Report^ — ^Sound  Business. 

Chapter  XI.     1868  to  1870 69 

Removal  to  Bishop  Street — Early  Struggles — • 
Determination  to  Succeed — Baking  Trade — Bor- 
rowing Alone}' — -Difficulties  with  Storekeepers — 
Another  Tea  and  Pubhc  Meeting — Disdainful 
newspaper  "  par." — -Starting  a  Coal  Agency — 
A  Good  Story — ^A  Disappointment — Better  Sales 
— Resignation  of  Secretary. 

Chapter  XII.     First  Branch  Store         82 

Stretton-on-Dunsmore  —  Soporose  Village  — 
Public  ^Meeting — -Deputation's  Adventures. 

Chapter  XIII.     1871  to  1873  87 

Election  of  Secretary  (Mr.  Jarrams) — -Wanted  ; 
More  Co-operation — A  Greater  than  Mark  Tapley 
— A  Deficit — ^Resignation  of  Mr.  Jarrams  :  Mr. 
J.  W.  Lewis  appointed  Secretary ^ — INIember  pays 
in  4/9  and  draws  out  20/11 — -Resignation  of  Mr. 
Lewis — Mr.  G.  Thorpe  appointed  Secretary — 
Another  good  Public  Meeting — Losses — Society 
saved  by  a  Woman — Mr.  Jarrams  recalled^ — 
"  Basket  Power  "  wanted — Progress — Situation 
described  in  Co-operative  News. 

Chapter  XIV.     1874-5 98 

Increased  Business — ^Penny  Bank — ^Drapery  De- 
partment— Educational  Fund — First  Educational 
Committee. 

Chapter  XV.     Eighth  Annual  Public  Meeting     107 

Progress — -Increased  Benefits — Meritorious  Labours 
recognised — Social  Enjoyment. 

Chapter  XVI.     1876-7  113 

Interest  and  Incident — Resignation  of  Secretary  : 
Mr.  A.  L.  Newbold  appointed — Increased  member- 
ship— New  Rules — Purchase  of  Bishop  Street 
PrDperty  and  Site  in  West  Orchard — Upward  trend 
— Decision  to  Build — How  to  find  the  Money. 

Chapter  XVII.     A  Great  Public  Improvement....  120 

New  Buildings,  West  Orchard,  described. 


CONTEXTS  xi. 

PAGE 

Chapter  X\'III.     Opening  of  New  Stores         ....  126 

Interesting  function — Encouraging  ^leetings — 
1,200  at  Tea — Mayoral  Chairman. 

Chapter  XIX.     1878 133 

To  Butcher  or  Xo  ? — Record  Sales — Increased 
Expenses — Lower  Dividends. 

Chapter  XX.     A  Presidential  Review 136 

Co-operative  Conferences — History  of  the  Society 
to  date — Light  on  Committee  Work  and  Domestic 
Felicities. 

Chapter  XXI.     An  Interlude      143 

Bv  wav  of  explanaticn. 

Chapter  XXII.     1879  to  1882        144 

A  Conspiracy  —  Resignations  —  New  President 
and  Secretary — Bold  front — Temporary  Decline 
and  Lower  Dividends — Eternal  Hope. 

Chapter  XXIII.     1883  to  1885      154 

Progress — Revolution  in  Bread-making. 

Chapter  XXIV.     1886  to  1887       165 

Change  in  Presidency — Honesty  v.  Plausible  Ad- 
vertising— Satisfactory  Business — Local  Distress — 
Expansion  of  Bread  Trade — Additions  to  Bakery — 
Breaking  Record — Good  Dividends- — "Go  forward" 
— "  Co-operative  Agriculture." 

Chapter  XXV.     Coming  of  Age,  1888      172 

Co-operators'   Junketings. 

Chapter  XXVI.     1888  to  1892       184 

Com  ]^Iill  Failure — Factory  Inspector  Chairman — 
Upward  Tendency  —  Increased  Membership  — 
House  Purchasing — Branch  Store,  Xew  Brook 
Street — Buying  34,  Bishop  Street — Spon  Street 
and  Earlsdon  Stores — Sales  still  Increase — Buying 
a  Music  Hall — Lapsing  a  Liquor  License — Closing 
Concert  at  the  "  Brit." — Xew  Draperv  Store — 
More  Beneficence — Good   Year. 

Chapter  XXVII.     1893  to  1898     196 

More  Charity — Extension  at  Earlsdon — Further 
prosperity — "A  cold-blooded  War" — Finger- 
snapping — Education — Trade  Depression — Fluc- 
tuation in  receipts — ^Dividend  maintained — 
Stability  and  Progress — Victoria  Street  and  Spring- 
field Road  —  Investments  —  Increased  JNIember- 
ship  and  Sales — Compliment  to  "  the  sex  " — 
Britannia   Buildings. 


Xll.  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter   XXVIII.     Our    Great    Xew    Bakery  205 
(1898)  

Description  of  Building — Its  opening — Annual 
Meeting — Society  prospers  despite  local  trade 
depression — Company  Financiers — "Rogue-  Fools." 

Chapter  XXIX.     1899  and  1900    212 

Educationalist  "  and  the  Education  Fund — 
Resignation  of  President  :  Election  of  Mr.  Jones — 
Extinguishing  a  Vicar  Rate — Grocery  Manager — 
Check  System  criticised — Land  Purchase — Pros- 
perous year  with  an  expiring  kick. 

Chapter  XXX.     1901  to  1903        219 

Disastrous  Flood — Value  of  Reserve  Fund — Retiring 
Auditor — -More  property  purchased  (Gosford  St.) — 
Increased  Trade — Dividend  maintained — Peep  at 
Educational  Work — ^Property  Buying — Britannia 
Street,  Somerset  and  Stoney  Stanton  Roads — 
Attempted  Boycott — Geoffrey  Wood's  Cross  : 
Stores  and  Houses — Death  of  an  ex-Auditor — 
Amalgamation  of  Kenilworth  and  Coventry 
Societies. 

Chapter  XXXI.     1904         .28 

Food  Taxation  opposed — -Warehouse  Property 
Bought — ^Site   of   London    Road    Store. 

Chapter  XXXII.   Our  Central  Provision  Ware- 
house   233 

Description  of  Buildings — -Warehousing — -Trade 
Geography — Values  and  Quantities — ^Useful  Pro- 
perty— Heart  of  our  Grocery  Trade. 

Chapter  XXXIII.     1905-6 237 

Trade  Depression  —  Votes  to  Relief  Funds  — 
Earlsdon  Store — ^ Another  Amalgamation  :  "  Hope, 
Prudence,  and  Perseverance  " — ^Domestic  Year — 
Birmingham  Congress  :  Wholesome  Words — 
Death  of  Mr.  G.  J.  Holyoake — Record  Year — 
"  Soap  Combine  " — -Piquant  Speeches. 

Chapter  XXXIV.     1907  to  1909    246 

"  Butchering  ?  " — Land  Purchases  :  Stoke,  North- 
field  Road,  Dean  Street — ^Increased  Membership 
and  Sales — Public  Auditor  ? — Baking  Machinery — 
Milk  Trade — Gosford  Street  Drapery — -Victoria 
Street — -Society's  Relief  Fund — Re-building  at 
West  Orchard — Bristol  Road  Store  Site — New 
Check  Svstem. 


CONTENTS  Xttt. 

PAGE 

Chapter  XXXV.     1910  to  1912     252 

Hoarding  of  Old  Checks — Sick  Room  Appliances — 
House  Building  at  Alderman's  Green- — ]\Iilk  Trade 
— Land  Purchase  :  Swan  Lane — Help  tor  distressed 
Co-operators — C.W.S.  Production  Exhibition — 
Charit}- — ^Purchases  of  Land  and  Property  : 
Foleshill  Road,  Bray's  Lane,  Windsor  Street, 
Victoria  Street — Additional  Coal  Wharfage- — 
National  Census- — Society's  Ten  Years'  Growth — 
Retailers'  "  Shopping  Week  "■ — ^Society  Progresses 
— C.W.S.  and  ^Minimum  Wage — INIore  Land  and 
Property  Buying  :  Swan  Lane,  Kenilworth,  and 
West  Orchard — Increased  Membership  and  Sales. 

Chapter  XXXM.     Our  Model  Dairy     263 

Importance  of  Pure  Milk — Reformed  Methods — 
Description  of  Buildings — Why  "  Co-operative 
Milk  "   preferred. 

Chapter  XXXVII.     1913  and  1914  (to  Julyj     ....  274 

Greatly  increased  membership — Land  Purchases  ; 
Humber  Road  and  Walsgrave-on-Sowe- — ^Fleet 
Street  and  West  Orchard  Property  Bought — 
Scrutineers'  ^Mistake — Xew  Voting  S\-stem — Works 
Department  }■ — -District  Associations'  Tribute  to 
Deceased  ]\Iember — Works  Department  approved 
— Change  of  Audit  System — ]Mrs.  Shufiflebotham — 
Co-operation  and  Trade  Lnionism — Enlargement 
of  Committee — Proposed  Lease  of  Land  deferred — 
Land  Purchase  at  Radford  approved. 

Chapter  XXXVIII.     The  War  Period  (August, 

1914,  TO  October,  191b)    ....         ....         ....  279 

War's  immediate  effects — Gratifying  progress  of 
Society — Branch  Store  policy  maintained — ^War 
Fund  and  other  contributions^ — Committee's  first 
War-time  Report — District  Association's  Remarks 
— Retirement  of  Mr.  Jones  from  Educational 
Committee — Business  and  Trading  Difficulties — 
Rise  in  Prices — Scarcity — Committee's  observa- 
tions, counsels,  and  warnings — Excess  Profits  ? — 
Nation's  Food  Supplies  and  Government  Control. 

Chapter  XXXIX.     Figures  of  Progress         ....  296 

Summaries  and  Contrasts- — -1867-1916. 

Chapter  XL.     Co-operative  Calendar  ....         ....  299 

Interesting  Events  in  the  Historv  of  the  Society. 


Xiv.  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter  XLI.     Co-operators'  Architecture    ....  303 

History  traced  in  Buildings- — "  Sermons  in  Stones  " 
— "  Frozen  Music." 

Chapter  XLII.     Our  Educational  Department  308 

Work     in     "  promoting     Education,     Culture,     or 
Recreation." 

Chapter  XLIII.     Our  Women's  Work    332 

Objects   and    Operations   of   Women's    Guild. 

Chapter  XLIV.     Men's  Guild       345 

Its  Objects  and   Programme. 

Chapter  XLV.     Our  Presidents 352 

Mr.    Hepworth — Mr.    Williams — Mr.    Lower — i\Ir. 
Jones. 

Chapter  XLVI.     A  Trio  of  our  Secretaries    ....  369 

]Mr.   Scrivener — Mr.   Xewbold — Mr.   Jarrams. 

Chapter    XLVII.       Reminiscences  :      Parts    I 

and  II 57^ 

Chapter  XLVIII.     Our  Legal  Status    393 

Chapter  XLIX.     Income  Tax  :    A  Plain  State- 
ment   396 

Chapter  L.     The  Soul  of  Co-oper.\tion  ....  403 

Epilogue         ■  411 

Appendix         ...  413 


Epitome, 


Introductory. 

A  Co-operative  Toast — -Foreword — ^Contents,  with 
Synopses  of  Chapters. 

General  and  Local. — Chapters  I  to  VI 

Historical — Expository — Biographical. 

Our  Society.—  Chapters  VII  to  L. 

Its  History,  1867  to  1916 — Descriptions — Statistics 
— Calendar  — ■  Architecture  —  Biographies  —  Re- 
miniscences — ■  Legal  Status  —  Members  and  the 
Income  Tax — "Soul  of  Co-operation" — Epilogue. 

Appendix. 

Committee's  Reports,  December,  1916,  and  April, 
1917. 


Chapter  I. 
Need  of  Social  Reform. 

"  Of  the  good  old  times  let  others  prate  ; 
I  thank  God  I  was  born  so  late." 

THE  need  of  social  reform  was  far  more  keenly 
lelt  in  the  earl}^  days  of  some  of  our  Co-operative 
friends  than  it  has  been  in  the  days  of  their 
matmity. 

Wages  were  low,  employment  was  often  scarce,  the 
necessaries  of  life  were  dear,  opportunities  for  recreation 
infrequent  ;  the  general  condition  of  the  working  classes 
was  far  from  satisfactory,  and  the  outlook  unpromi-ing  ; 
combination  of  labour  for  social  improvement  was  by 
no  means  as  free  as  in  these  later  times,  and  there  was 
widespread  discontent.  The  middle  classes  had  been 
enfranchised,  but  not  those  who  hved  bv  manual  labour. 

Chartism,  a  movement  in  Great  Britain  for  the 
extension  of  political  power  to  the  great  bodv  of  the 
people,  was  impelled  largely  by  actual  want — "  misery 
and  discontent,"  says  Mr.  Justin  McCarthv  [Epoch  of 
Reform)  "  were  its  strongest  inspirations  " — and  by  the 
indifference  of  the  Legislature. 

So  late  as  i8-]3,  Thomas  Carlyle,  in  his  Past  and 
Present,  declared — "  When  two  million  of  one's  brother- 


2  NEED    OF    SOCIAL    REFORM 

men  sit  in  workhouses,  and  five  millions,  as  is 
insolently  said,  '  rejoice  in  potatoes,'  there  are  various 
things  that  must  be  begun,  let  them  end  where  they 
can."  (Book  III.,  Ch.  V.) 

Mr.  Joseph  Gutteridge,  of  Coventry,  writing  in  1893, 
when  near  the  end  of  a  long  Ufe — he  was  born  in  1816 — 
says  :  "In  my  early  days  the  working  classes  had  to 
struggle  much  harder  for  a  Hvelihood  than  now,  and 
they  did  not  enjoy  so  many  of  the  advantages  which 
tend  to  lighten  the  burden  of  honest  toil.  The  neces- 
saries of  hfe  were  much  dearer,  and  though  prior  to 
i860  the  ribbon-weaving  trade  was  prosperous,  the 
working  people  did  not  appear  to  reap  the  benefits 
they  ought.  The  intellectual  condition  of  the  poorer 
classes  was  low,  and  the  opportunities  of  advancement 
were  very  meagre  ;  the  educated  few  appeared  to  be 
jealous  lest  their  inferiors  should  taste  of  the  tree  of 
knowledge  and  have  their  eyes  opened.  The  condition 
of  women  in  this  respect  was  deplorable.  .  .  .  The 
Coventry  of  old  age  is  vastly  different  from  the  Coventry 
of  youth." 

In  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  however, 
various  efforts  had  been  made  to  amehorate  the  con- 
dition of  the  people.  Some  had  been  successful  for  a 
time,  but  to  a  large  extent  they  had  proved  ineffectual. 
Among  others  the  Co-operative  movement  sprang  up. 
Many  attempts  were  made  to  establish  co-operative 
trading,  but  being  mercantile  in  character  as  a  rule, 
lacking  in  great  ideals,  too  frequently  in  the  hands  of 
unsuitable  managers,  insufficiently  capitaUsed  and 
inefficiently  organised,  with  unhmited  habihty,  and 
bitterly  opposed  by  financiers,  the  trading  and  privileged 


NEED    OF    SOCIAL    REFORM  3 

classes,  they  failed,  with  some  notable  exceptions. 
In  1844,  however,  at  Rochdale,  a  system  was  inaugurated 
which  proved  sound,  attractive,  and  expansive.  This 
system  has  ever  since  held  the  field.  But  for  years 
Co-operation  did  not  succeed  on  any  large  scale,  and 
it  was  not  till  1869  ^^at  a  Co-operative  Congress  reallv 
attracted  influential  attention.  This  was  held  at  the 
Royal  Society  of  Arts  Rooms,  London.  The  measure  of 
success  achieved  by  this  Congress  justified  a  further 
undertaking  of  the  kind,  and  the  second  Co-operative 
Congress  accordingly  took  place  the  following  year  at 
Manchester. 

That  the  need  for  social  reform  had  not  passed  away 
is  evident  from  a  trenchant  article  from  the  pen  of 
Mr.  Henry  Pitman,  a  well-known  man  in  Manchester, 
and  published  as  a  preface  to  the  official  Congress 
Report,  1870.      Said  Mr.  Pitman  : 

"  Co-operation,  as  the  word  implies,  is  '  working 
together  '  in  order  to  ameliorate  the  lot  of  the  labourer. 
That  lot  at  the  present  time  is  far  from  being  what  it 
ought  to  be  ;  but  it  is  not  Hkely  to  be  improved  so  long 
as  the  working  man  is  a  mere  '  thing  of  wages.'  The 
Co-operative  movement  gathers  significance  from  thf 
fact  that  its  leaders  have  been  and  are  dissatisfierl 
\Mth  modern  society  in  man}'  of  its  social  and  industrial 
manifestations.  With  the  exception  of  slavery,  the 
worst  evils  of  heathen  times  are  unredressed.  While 
professing  the  '  law  of  love,'  our  commerce  is  based  on 
'  self-interest.'  The  '  tricks  of  trade  have  become  a 
joke  ;  perpetual  war  rages  between  Labour  and  Capital  ; 
and  Pauperism  is  regarded  as  an  incurable  cancer  in 
the  State. 


4  NEED    OF    SOCIAL    REFORM 

"  A  revolution  was  needed  to  rectify  these  scandalous 
anomalies,  and  it  appeared  in  the  peaceful  guise  of 
Co-operation.  Acts  of  Parliament  were  powerless  to 
prevent  adulteration,  short  weight,  and  short  measure. 
Co-operation  removed  all  temptation  to  over-reaching, 
b}^  making  the  interest  of  the  buyer  and  seller  identical. 
There  is  an  honest  sphere  about  a  Co-operative 
store,  which  gradually  leavens  the  lump  of  surrounding 
trade. 

"  Another  admirable  feature  of  Co-operative  stores 
is  the  ready-money  system.  Cash  payment  is  almost 
universal,  and  where  credit  is  allowed,  the  share 
capital  of  the  member  is  guarantee  for  payment.  The 
advantages  of  the  '  no  trust  '  system  are  indispensable, 
both  to  the  individual  and  the  society.  With  moderate 
business  tact,  and  union  among  the  members,  a  Co- 
operative store  that  buys  and  sells  for  cash  cannot  fail 
to  be  a  profitable  concern.  Good  habits,  like  bad  ones, 
find  imitators  ;  and  so  cash  deahng  is  spreading  to  the 
benefit  of  the  ordinary  shopkeeper  and  his  customers. 

"  Early  closing  and  the  half-holiday  are  other  com- 
mendable features  of  the  stores.  Co-operators  are 
usually  temperate,  prudent  people,  who  make  their 
jnuchases  at  reasonable  hours,  partly  from  a  fellow- 
feeling  with  their  employees,  and  also  because  they 
know  that  it  is  not  economical  to  burn  gas  to  accommo- 
date dilatory  customers Shorter  hours  of  work 

and  more  opportunities  for  recreation  and  mental 
improvement  are  indispensable  to  a  people  who  aspire 
to  be  called  educated.  Co-operation  and  Education 
are  our  watchwords.  ...  Co-operation  must  follow 
education,    just    as    fight    follows    the    sun.  .  .  .  The 


NEED   Ol"    SOCIAL    REfORM  5 

possibilities    of     Co-operation     are     inexhaustible  ;      a 
i^'lorious  work  lies  before  us." 

At  this  Congress  of  1870,  the  chairman  (Mr.  Walter 
Morrison,  M.P.)  claimed  that  the  early  clays  and  the 
dark  days  of  Co-operation  had  passed  away,  and 
although  very  few  stores  of  the  past  generation  still 
existed,  ever  since  1842,  when  the  foundation  of  the 
Rochdale  Equitable  Pioneers  was  laid,  Co-operation 
had  grown  steadily,  and  showed  no  signs  of  retrogression. 
"  If  anything  can  be  said  to  be  certain  in  human  and 
commercial  affairs,"  added  the  chairman,  "it  is  that 
Co-operative  stores  have  taken  a  permanent  place  in 
our  social  system." 


Chapter  II. 


Coventry  in  the  Sixties. 

"  Xothing  can  be  done  without  hope." 

— ^Helen  Keller. 

DURING  thr  decade  1860-70,  Coventry  experi- 
enced extreme  illfortune.  The  period  opened 
with  unexampled  depression  of  trade,  the  citizens 
for  the  most  part  suffered  from  severe  distress,  and  the 
glories  of  the  cit}'  were,  to  use  a  moderate  expression, 
seriously  dimmed. 

Actual  poverty  prevailed  to  such  an  extent  that  a 
national  rehel  fund  was  organised,  to  which  the  Queen 
and  the  Prince  of  Wales  contributed,  the  total  sum 
raised  being  upwards  of  /40,ooo. 

Mr.  Joseph  Gutteridge,  in  "  Lights  and  Shadow^  of 
the  Life  of  an  Artizan,"  draws  a  vivid  picture  ot  the 
condition  of  Coventr}-  during  the  period  under  review. 
He  says  :  — 

"  Trade  declined,  and  wages  came  down  rapidly. 
This  the  weavers  in  a  body  resisted,  and  the  struggles 
culminated  in  the  terrible  strike  and  lock-out  of  1860-1. 
It  is  computed  that  nearly  14,000  people  were  at  that 
time  dependent  upon  the  silk  trade  in  Coventry  and 
district,  and  the  consequence  of  this  dispute  was  that 


COVENTRY    IN    THE    SIXTIES  9 

all  looms,  whether  on  hire  or  purchase,  were  called  in 
b\'  the  manufacturers,  who  were  in  a  great  measure 
determined  not  to  give  in  to  the  demands  of  their  hands, 
but  on  the  other  hand  were  determined  to  compel  them 
to  work  for  weekly  wages  on  the  factor}-  system. 

"  The  factory  system  at  that  time  was  most  vile, 
legislation  on  the  subject  being  verv  meagre.  Only 
those  who  have  had  experience  under  the  system, 
which  embraced  the  indiscriminate  association  of  both 
sexes  with  but  little  restraint,  in  a  tainted  atmosphere, 
can  tell  of  the  moral  depravity  that,  like  a  poisonous 
miasma,  enervated,  if  it  did  not  utterly  destrov  in  too 
many  instances,  the  respect  owed  by  the  workpeople 
to  themselves  and  to  society 

"  This  strike  and  lock-out,  combined  with  the  cessa- 
tion of  the  fashion  for  wearing  ribbons,  in  the  course 
of  a  few  3Tars  reduced  the  number  of  Coventry  manu- 
facturers from  eighty  to  less  than  twenty,  and  caused 
a  decrease  in  the  population  of  the  city  of  over  five 
thousand.  Hundreds  of  looms,  the  first  cost  of  which 
was  from  £40  to  £100,  were  sold  to  brokers  for  a  mere 
song  to  enable  weavers  to  obtain  the  means  to  sustain 
life,  and  were  ultimately  broken  up  for  what  the  wood 
and  metal  would  realise 

"  Such  a  general  state  of  extreme  poverty  was  never 
known  in  Coventry  before.  Many  weavers  with  large 
families  were  compelled  to  make  raids  upon  the  held 
camps  of  turnips  and  potatoes  to  save  their  children 
from  utter  starvation.  The  workhouse  was  hlled  to 
overflowing  ;  the  rates  went  up  enormouslv  to  supply 
the  outdoor  poor  with  a  scanty  pittance  ;  shopkeepers 
were  on  the  verge  of  niin,  and  no  credit  could  be  obtained 


10  COVENTRY    tN    THE    SIXTIES 

for  food  ;  the  manufacturers  one  after  another  were 
going  into  bankruptcy,  and  nearl}'  eight  hundred 
houses  were  soon  without  tenants.  Hundreds  of  famihcs 
emigrated  by  means  of  help  to  America  and  the  Colonies, 
and  at  home,  beside  the  relief  work  on  the  commons, 
soup  kitchens  were  opened  to  appease  the  famished 
people  who  could  not  get  bread." 

Pessimists  declared  that  Coventry  was  irretrievably 
ruined  ;  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  aver  that  man\' 
responsible  citizens  felt  a  deep  anxiety  concerning  the 
city's  future   welfare. 

As  in  national,  so  in  civic  affairs,  however,  tribulations 
cleanse  hke  purifying  fires,  and  new  fife  springs  forth. 
Like  the  fabled  Phoenix,  Coventry  arose  from  its  desola- 
tion with  renewed  \itaHty. 

Charitable  funds,  generous  and  noble  as  the}'  might 
be,  were  felt  to  be  but  a  palliative — a  merely  temporary 
expedient,  a  polic}'  of  despair  almost  ;  and  measures  of 
a  potential  value  were  essential.  Various  new  industries 
were  therefore  introduced  to  supplement  the  two 
"  staple  "  trades  of  ribbon  weaving  and  watch-making. 
With  few  exceptions  these  proved  successful.  A  fresh 
spirit  of  enterprise  and  farsightedness  among  certain 
prominent  citizens  was  strengthened  by  the  genius  and 
adaptability  of  the  artisan  population.  Even  the  failures 
provided  employment  for  a  time,  and  from  them  other 
industries  developed. 

Thus  the  great  industrial  modern  Coventry,  witli  its 
population  approaching  130,000,  may  be  said  to  have 
had  its  renaissance  in  the  travail  of  the  middle  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  and  to  be  a  triumph  over  the 
most  untoward  circumstances. 


I 


COVENTRY    IN    THE    SIXTIES  II 

But  the  decade  was  fruitful  in  other  directions.  Not 
only  were  a  number  of  new  public  buildings  erected, 
but  a  local  Art  and  Industrial  Exhibition  was  held  in  a 
new  Market  Hall,  the  first  Free  Pubhc  Library  was 
opened,  and  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative 
Society  was  started.  It  is  not  a  little  remarkable  that 
the  Exhibition,  the  Free  Library,  and  the  Co-operative 
Society  were  contemporaneous — viz.,  iSbj.  Despite 
adversity,  distress,  tribulation  and  suffering,  practical 
optimism  pro\'ed  victorious. 


Chapter  III. 


Co-operation  :   What  it   is,   and   is   not. 

"  The\'  helped  every  one  his  neighbour,  and 
every  one  said  to  his  brother  :  Be  of  good 
courage." — Prophet  Isaiah. 

BY  goin^  to  the  root  of  the  matter  "  Co-operation  " 
becomes  quite  easy  of  understanding. 
It  may  be  premised  that  there  are  three  modes 
l)y  which  members  of  ci\ahsed  society  may  supply  their 
wants.  1st — They  ma}-  act  for  themselves  ;  2nd — They 
may  leave  the  task  to  those  who  make  it  their  business  ; 
3rd — They  may  club  together  and  engage  the  necessar}' 
services,  and  thus  do  by  combination  what  they  cannot 
do  as  individuals. 

The  question  is,  which  of  these  three  methods  possesses 
the  greatest  advantages  to  the  pubhc  ?  Now  the  first 
method  is  practically  impossible.  The  second  method 
is,  of  course,  extensively  emplo^'ed,  and  the  persons 
who  act  as  intermediates  have  a  claim  for  "  compensa- 
tion." That  is  precisely  where  the  private  trader  with 
his  profits  finds  a  place  in  civilised  society  ;  the  profits 
representing  in  a  broad  sense  his  "  compensation  "  or 
remuneration.  Certain  errors  and  evils  have  crept 
into  this  mode  of  supphing  human   wants,   but  they 


J 


CO-OPERATIOX    DEFINED  I3 

are  ob\ious.  so  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  discuss  them. 
The  third  method  includes  what  is  known  as 
"  Co-operation." 

Elementally,  Co-operation  has  a  simple  meaning. 
Xot  an  elegant  term  by  any  means,  although  it  will 
probabh'  survive  all  attempts  to  improve  upon  it, 
"  Co-operation  "  is  compounded  of  two  Latin  words, 
\az.  : — Co=\\ith,  and  o  per  at  us =\\ox\i.  Hence,  to 
co-operate  means  to  work  with,  and  co-operation,  the 
working  together.  "  Co-operators  "  are  those  who 
work  together. 

In  a  general,  broad  sense.  Co-operation  means  any 
combined  operation  for  a  common  purpose,  thus 
comprehending  joint-stock  enterprises,  professional  or 
trade  associations,  assurance,  sa\angs  banks,  building 
societies — in  fact,  any  associated  effort  is  a  form  of 
co-operation.  Examples  of  simple  co-operation  in  a 
general  sense  are  to  be  found  in  some  friends  joining 
\\ith  one  another  to  buy  a  truck  of  coal  at  pit  rates  ; 
a  few  clerks  acting  together  in  the  purchase  of  a  chest 
of  tea  ;  or  a  party  of  neighbours  collectively  obtaining 
direct  a  consignment  of  commodities  at  manufacturers' 
prices.  In  such  cases  the  object  of  the  working  together 
is  the  saving  of  expenditure  by  the  consumers.  A 
different  form  of  co-operation  is  that  of  a  group  of  retail 
traders  engaging  in  what  is  termed  "  combined  buying." 
The  object  in  this  case  is  increased  profits.  The  same 
object  is  aimed  at  by  a  joint-stock  company  with  large 
capital,  bu\ing  on  a  scale  that  is  beyond  the  means 
of  an  indi\idual  tradesman,  as  the  larger  the  quantity 
of  goods  purchased  at  one  time  the  more  favourable 
the   terms   that   can   be   secured,   and   the   greater  the 


14  CO-OPERATION    DEFINED 

amount  of  "  remuneration  "  or  dividend  to  the  pro- 
prietors. And  in  the  same  general  sense  of  the  word, 
individual  traders,  multiple-shop  owners,  and  directors 
of  hmited  habihty  companies  are  at  the  present  time 
co-operating  to  smash  Co-operation — if  they  can  ! 

In  a  particular  sense — that  pertinent  to  this  volume 
— Co-operation  means  a  system  by  which  members  of  a 
legally-constituted  society  work  together  for  the  cheaper 
purchasing  of  goods,  on  the  principle  of  being  buyer 
and  seller  at  the  same  time  for  ready  money  ;  it  is 
economical  spending  with  a  disposition  on  the  part 
of  all  to  make  some  sacrihce  of  individual  claims 
lor  the  public  good,  which  in  this  case  is  social 
reform. 

Taking  a  wide  survey,  Mr.  Smiles,  in  his  work  on 
"  Thrift  "  (1875)  remarked  :  "  The  secret  ol  social 
development  is  to  be  found  in  co-operation  ;  and  the 
great  question  of  improved  economical  and  social  life 
can  onlv  receive  a  satisfactory  solution  through  its 
means.  To  effect  good  on  a  large  scale,  men  must 
combine  their  efforts,  and  the  best  social  system  is  that 
in  which  the  organisation  for  the  common  good  is 
rendered  the  most  complete  in  all  respects.  The  middle 
classes  have  largely  employed  the  principle  of  association. 
....  They  have  accompHshed  more  by  the  principle 
of  Co-operation  than  the  classes  who  have  so  much 
greater  need  of  it." 

For  a  more  complete  exposition  of  the  subject, 
reference  should  be  made  to  an  article  in  the 
Encydopcsdia  Britannica  (nth  ed.),  by  Mr.  Aneurin 
Wilhams,  K.C.,  M.P.,  from  which,  with  due  acknow- 
ledgments, the  remainder  of  this  chapter  is  drawn. 


CO-OPERATION    DEFINED  I5 

"  Co-operation,  then,  is  the  term  used  particularly 
both  for  a  theory  of  hfe  and  for  a  system  of  business, 
with  the  general  sense  of  working  together.  In  its 
widest  usage  it  means  the  creed  that  Ufe  ma}'  best  be 
ordered  not  by  the  competition  of  indi\iduals,  where 
each  seeks  the  interest  of  himself  and  his  family,  but 
by  mutual  help  ;  by  each  indi\4dual  consciously  striving 
for  the  good  of  the  social  body  of  which  he  forms  a 
part,  and  the  social  body  in  return  caring  for  each 
individual.  '  Each  for  all,  and  all  for  each  '  is  its 
accepted  motto. 

"  More  or  less  imperfectly  embodying  this  theory, 
we  have  co-operation  in  the  concrete,  or  '  the  co-opera- 
tive movement,'  meaning  those  forms  of  voluntary 
association  where  individuals  unite  for  mutual  aid  in 
the  production  of  wealth,  which  they  ^^'ill  devote  to 
common  purposes,  or  share  among  them  upon  principles 
of  equity,  reason,  and  the  common  good,  agreed  upon 
beforehand.  Not  that  a  Co-operative  Society  can 
begin  by  saying  absolutely  what  those  principles  in 
their  purity  would  dictate.  It  begins  with  current 
prices,  current  rates  of  wages  and  interest,  current 
hours  of  labour,  and  modifies  them  as  soon  as  it  can 
wherever  they  seem  least  conformable  to  equity,  reason, 
and  the  common  good.  .  .  .  Co-operation  in  tact  is 
essentially  a  democratic  association.  .  .  .  Workmen's 
co-operative  stores,  or  distributive  societies,  flourish 
chiefly  in  the  North  and  Midlands  of  England  and  in 
Scotland,  but  are  foimd  more  or  less  all  over  the  country. 
Outwardly  these  stores  may  look  Hke  shops,  bu^  they 
are  really  much  more.  First,  they  are  managed  with  a 
view,   not  to   a  proprietor's  profit,   but   to  cheap  and 


l6  CO-OPERATION    DEFINED 

good  commodities.  Si>coiid,  they  have  done  an  immense 
work  for  thrift  and  the  material  prosperity  of  the 
working  classes,  and  as  teachers  of  business  and  self- 
go\ernment.  But  further,  they  have  a  distinct  social 
and  economic  aim,  viz.,  to  correct  the  present  inequalities 
of  wealth,  and  substitute  for  the  competitive  system  an 
industry  controlled  by  all  in  the  common  interest,  and 
distributing  on  principles  of  equity  and  reason,  mutually 
agreed  on,  the  wealth  produced.  With  this  in  view  they 
acknowledge  the  duties  of  lair  pay  and  good  conditions 
for  their  own  employees,  and  of  not  bu\ing  goods  made 
under  bad  conditions.  The  best  societies  further  set 
aside  a  small  proportion  of  their  profits  for  educational 
purposes,  including  concerts,  social  gatherings,  classes, 
lectures,  reading  rooms  and  libraries,  and  often  make 
grants  to  causes  with  which  they  sjinpathise.  There 
are,  of  course,  many  defects,  and  of  their  two  million 
members  a  large,  and  many  tear  an  increasing,  pro- 
portion, attracted  by  the  prosperity  ol  the  societies, 
think  chiefly  of  what  they  themselves  gain  ;  but  the 
government  of  the  movement  has,  hitherto  at  least, 
been  largelv  in  the  hands  of  men  of  ideas,  who  beheve 
that  stores  are  but  a  step  to  co-operative  production, 
and  on  to  the  *  Co-operative  Commonwealth.'  " 


Chapter  1\' 


Rochdale  Pioneers. 

"  The  true  Co-operator  combines  a  keen  business 

intellect  with  a  spirit  full  of  earnest  faith." 

— Prof.  Marshall. 

THE  Rochdale  Pioneers'  Co-operative  Store  being 
the  model  on  which  numerous  stores  in  the 
United  Kingdom  and  on  the  Continent  have 
been  estabhshed — before  the  war  there  were  over  a 
himdred  such  stores  in  Serbia,  for  example — a  few 
particulars  of  its  origin  and  principles  may  suitably 
find  a  place  in  this  volume.  For  these  a  large  indebted- 
ness is  acknowledged  to  a  work  ("  History  of  England, 
1830-1874  ")  by  the  Rev.  W.  Nassau  Molesworth,  M.A., 
Mcar  of  Spotland.  Rochdale. 

It  was  at  the  close  of  the  year  1S43  that  the  Rochdale 
Equitable  Pioneers'  Co-operative  Store  was  first  estab- 
lished. 

The  new  Poor  Law  had  prevented  the  working  men 
of  that  town  from  looking,  as  they  had  preWously  been 
accustomed  to  do,  to  parochial  rehef  as  a  resource  on 
which,  in  case  of  loss  of  work,  they  might  always  fall 
back.  The  failure  of  the  Rochdale  Savings  Bank, 
recently  pltmdered  by  its  actuary  to  the  extent  of 
£70,000,  had  destroyed  all  faith  in  that  hitherto  popular 


l8  ROCHDALE   PIONEERS 

institution  ;  and  the  Rochdale  working  men,  at  least 
such  of  them  as  looked  beyond  the  present  moment, 
seemed  to  have  no  alternative  left  to  them  but  that 
of  spending  their  Httle  savings  in  drink  or  hiding  them 
in  an  old  stocking. 

It  was  in  these  circumstances  that  twenty-eight 
Rochdale  flannel-weavers  managed  to  scrape  together 
a  sovereign  each  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  shop 
in  which  they  might  piu"chase  genuine  groceries  and 
other  necessaries  at  a  moderate  price,  dividing  among 
themselves  whatever  surplus  might  remain  at  the  end 
of  the  year.  The  views  by  which  they  were  actuated 
are  very  clearly  exhibited  in  an  account  which  they 
shortly  after  pubhshed,  of  the  lofty  aims  with  which 
they  made  this  very  humble  experiment  : — 

"  The  objects  of  this  Society  are  the  social  and 
intellectual  advancement  of  its  members.  It  j)rovides 
them  with  groceries,  butcher's  meat,  drapery  goods, 
clothes,  shoes,  clogs,  etc.  There  are  competent  w^orkmen 
on  the  premises  to  do  the  w'ork  of  the  members  and 
execute  all  repairs.  The  capital  is  raised  in  one-pound 
shares,  each  member  being  allowed  to  take  not  less 
than  five  and  not  more  than  a  hundred,  payable  at  once, 
or  by  instalments  of  three  shillings  and  threepence 
per  quarter.  The  prohts  are  divided  quarterly,  as 
foUows  : — First,  interest  at  five  per  cent,  per  annum 
on  all  paid-up  shares  ;  second,  two  and  a  half  per  cent, 
off  net  profits  for  educational  purposes  ;  the  remainder 
to  be  divided  among  the  members  in  proportion  to  the 
money  expended.  For  the  intellectual  improvement  of 
the  members  there  is  a  Hbrary  consisting  of  more  than 
3,000  volumes.      The  librarian  is  in  attendance  every 


ROCHDALE    PIONEERS  IQ 

Wednesday  and  Saturday  evening  from  seven  to  half- 
past  eight  o'clock.  The  news  room  is  well  supplied 
with  newspapers  and  periodicals,  fitted  up  in  a  neat  and 
careful  manner,  and  furnished  with  maps,  globes, 
microscope,  telescope,  etc.  The  news  room  and  library 
are  free  to  all  members.  A  branch  reading-room  has 
been  opened  at  Oldham  Road,  the  readers  of  which  meet 
every  second  Monda}^  in  January,  April,  July,  and 
October,  to  choose  and  sell  the  papers." 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  concern  required  considerable 
administrative  ability,  and  it  was  forthcoming.  To  the 
honour  of  the  Society  it  should  be  mentioned  that, 
far  from  being  actuated  by  any  desire  to  monopolise 
the  advantages  they  enjoyed,  they  were  animated  by  a 
generous  spirit  of  proselytism,  which  led  them  to  put 
themselves  to  considerable  trouble  and  expense  in 
communicating  to  enquirers  from  all  parts  of  the  world 
the  results  of  their  experience,  and  aiding  them  in  the 
formation  of  new  societies. 

At  an  early  period  of  their  history,  the  Society  printed 
a  paper  to  send  to  all  those  who  applied  to  them  for 
information  with  a  view  to  the  formation  of  new  societies ; 
the  paper  illustrates  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  generosity 
by  which  they  were  animated,  and  contains  precepts 
that  are  worthy  of  being  exhibited  in  every  store  of 
the  present  day,  as  the  following  extracts  will  show  : — 

"  Let  integrity,  intelHgence,  and  ability  be  indis- 
pensable quahfications  in  the  choice  of  officers  and 
managers,  and  not  wealth  or  distinction." 

"  Let  each  member  have  only  one  vote,  and  make  no 
distinction  as  regards  the  amount  of  wealth  any  member 
may  contribute." 


20  ROCHDALE    PIONEERS 

"  Let  majorities  rule  in  all  matters  of  government." 

"  Look  well  after  money  matters." 

"  Never  depart  from  the  principle  of  buying  and 
selling  for  ready  money." 

"  Let  Committees  of  Management  always  have  the 
authority  of  the  members  before  taking  any  important 
or  expensive  step." 

"  Do  not  court  opposition  or  publicitv  ;  nor  fear  it 
when  it  comes." 

"  Choose  those  only  for  your  leaders  whom  you  can 
trust,  and  then  give  them  your  confidence." 

At  the  end  of  1866,  when  the  new  movement  was 
beginning  in  Coventry,  the  "  Pioneers  "  numbered 
6,246  members,  \\ith  a  capital  of  ^^99,908  ;  their  income 
for  goods  sold  and  cash  received  during  the  year  was 
£249,122,  and  the  gross  surplus  was  £31,931.  The 
population  of  Rochdale  about  this  time  was  rather 
more  than  that  of  Coventry,  being  44,559  in  1871, 
while  Coventry's  population  had  dechned  to  37,670. 

It  is  not  necessary  or  possible  here  to  follow  the  for- 
tunes of  the  Rochdale  Equitable  Pioneers  Society, 
but  it  may  be  remarked  that  the  Society  has  had  a 
remarkable  history,  and  is  regarded  as  occupying  a 
premier  position  in  the  Co-operative  world. 


1 


Chapter  V. 
Early  Local  Efforts. 

"  Numbers  without  union  are  powerless,  and  union 
without  knowledge  is  useless."  —  Lancashire 
Co-operator  or  Useful  Classes  Advocate  (1831). 

THERE  is  a  paucity  of  information  concerning 
Coventr\^'s  earliest  efforts  in  Co-operation  ;  and 
the  little  that  is  available  shows  numerous 
failures. 

Societies  for  the  purchase  and  distribution  of  bread 
and  flour,  and  also  coal,  were  started,  had  a  brief  exist- 
ence, and  then  came  to  untimely  ends. 

It  is  on  record  that  there  was  a  Society  in  Coventry 
in  1829,  and  another  at  Foleshill  in  the  same  year. 
One  such  society  is  known  to  have  carried  on  business 
about  this  period  whose  system  was  almost  analogous 
to  that  which  obtains  in  the  present  day.  There  was  a 
Co-operative  store  in  New  Street  ;  and  there  were  others 
in  different  parts  of  the  city. 

About  1840,  members  of  the  local  branch  of  Socialists 
estabUshed  a  store,  the  main  object  of  which  was  to 
further  the  principles  advocated  by  Robert  Owen  (born 
1 77 1,  died  1S58).  An  unpractical  theorist  Owen  may 
have    been,    but    he    was    a    remarkable    personality. 


22  EARLY   LOCAL    EFFORTS 

eminently  philanthropic,  preternaturally  sanguine,  and 
of  surpassing  energy  ;  he  certainly  set  men  thinking, 
and  he  grafted  into  Society  a  new  moral  force.  Mr. 
Holyoake  remarks  :  "As  Stephenson  the  elder  made 
railway  locomotion  possible,  so  Owen  set  men's  minds 
on  the  track  of  Co-operation,  and  time  and  need, 
failure  and  gain,  faith  and  thought,  and  the  good 
sense  and  devotion  of  multitudes  have  made  it  what 
it  is." 

The  local  Socialists  took  a  shop  on  the  Burges,  and 
did  a  considerable  trade  in  grocery  and  provisions. 
Mr.  William  Taunton,  whom  many  citizens  remember 
as  an  auctioneer  and  demagogue,  was  the  principal 
manager.  After  a  fitful  existence  of  about  three  years 
the  store  was  closed.  Unfortunately  there  was  a  deficit 
of  about  £100  ;  "  hmited  liability  "  was  then  unknown, 
and  the  loss  fell  almost  entirely  on  one  man.  The 
failure  naturall}^  caused  great  disappointment,  and 
Coventry  having  then  a  comparatively  small  population 
of  about  33,000  the  facts  became  known  in  every 
household. 

Although  Co-operation  had  thus  fallen  into  disrepute, 
a  further  venture  was  embarked  upon  shortly  after- 
wards. As  the  result  of  a  lecture  at  St.  Mary's  Hall 
in  1843,  by  Mr.  James  Orange,  of  Nottingham,  agent 
of  the  London  Labourers'  Friend  Society,  who  advocated 
land  allotments,  there  was  formed  "  The  Labourers  and 
Artizans'  Co-operative  Society."  Among  tliose  who 
gave  encouragement  to  this  society  was  Mr.  Charles 
Bray.  It  started  with  fair  prospects.  Land  lor  allot- 
ment gardens  was  taken  at  the  back  of  the  workhouse, 
on  the  London  Road,  at  Earlsdon,  and  in  Gas  Street. 


EA"RLV    LOCAL    EFFORTS  23 

A  loan  fund  was  organised.  The  society  tJien  became 
coal  merchants,  grocers  and  flom"  dealers,  and  even 
millers,  taking  on  lease  a  small  water-power  mill  on  the 
Sowe,  at  Henley,  hard  by  Stoke  Heath,  and  another 
at  Walsgrave  also  on  the  Sowe.  For  a  time  all  appeared 
to  go  well.  Difficulties  in  the  coal  trade  had  been 
overcome,  but  in  the  milling  and  flour  business  disaster 
followed  upon  disaster.  Then  there  was  allowed  to 
accumulate  a  large  fund  of  debts  due  to  the  society. 
The  membership  had  risen  to  over  a  thousand — really 
a  considerable  proportion  of  the  population.  Business 
was  for  a  time  conducted  at  the  Mechanics'  Institution, 
and  afterwards  at  premises  in  ]\luch  Park  Street,  pro- 
vided by  Mr.  Bray.  But  the  management  appears  to 
have  been  at  least  negligent — perhaps  reckless  v/ould 
be  the  more  correct  term.  When  the  inevitable  crisis 
came,  the  debts  due  to  the  society  proved  impossible 
of  collection,  and  the  society  collapsed  about  1862. 
To  many  persons  the  losses  were  reaUy  serious.  Of  the 
causes  of  failure  the  credit  system  seems  to  have  been 
one  of  the  chief.  A  new  society,  called  the  "  Garden 
Society,"  was  formed  of  allotment  holders,  and  this, 
being  a  less  ambitious  enterprise  and  more  soundly 
managed,  proved  satisfactory  in  its  working  for  many 
years. 

Some  of  the  members  of  the  Labourers  and  Artisans' 
Society,  who  were  wise  in  time,  secured  themselves 
against  great  pecuniary  loss.  They  beheved,  as  men  of 
judgment  do  now,  that  the  principles  of  Co-operation 
were  sound,  but  needed  intelUgence,  abihty,  industry, 
and  conscientiousness  to  maintain  them  in  successful 
operation 


24  EARLY   LOCAL   EFFORTS 

Afterwards  there  sprang  up  sucieties  on  a  smaller 
scale  in  different  parts  of  the  city,  but  none  seemed  to 
have  attained  to  any  appreciable  degree  of  prosperit3^ 
A  society  established  in  Howard  Street  was  perhaps  the 
least  unsuccessful,  but  it  did  not  grow  very  largely, 
and  at  the  time  of  the  ribbon  weavers'  strike,  in  i860, 
and  the  collapse  of  the  ribbon  trade,  most  of  its  members 
emigrated. 

The  causes  of  the  non-success  of  man}'  of  these  early 
societies  now  appear  quite  plainly  ;  but  anyone  who 
feels  censorious  should  bear  in  mind  the  conditions  of 
the  people  in  the  early  part  of  last  century — their 
regrettable  want  of  knowledge,  their  inexperience, 
their  poverty ;  and  also  the  discouragement  and 
opposition  that  co-operators  encountered  at  every  step. 
At  least  these  pioneers  deserve  praise  for  their  deter- 
mined efforts  for  social  improvement. 

Lockhurst  Lane,  w^hich  is  in  the  portion  of  the 
adjoining  parish  of  Foleshill  that  was  added  to  the  city 
of  Coventr}'  in  1899,  has  a  society  which  claims  to  be 
the  oldest  in  the  country. 

Among  a  strictly  working  class  community,  the 
"  Lockhurst  Lane,  Foleshill,  Industrial  Co-operative 
Society  "  was  started  in  1832.  Its  original  members 
numbered  nine  only.  Their  capital  was  small,  and  their 
early  efforts  were  by  no  means  ambitious.  The  first 
minutes  in  the  society's  possession  bear  date,  January 
3rd,  1833,  and  are  signed  by  five  members  of  the  com- 
mittee. A  couple  of  months  later,  there  is  an  entry 
of  accounts  showing  the  "worth  of  the  society"  to  be 
£26  13s.  5d.  ;  and  in  the  following  June  the  quarter's 
sales  are  recorded  to  have  been  £181  19s.  iid.     It  was 


tARLY   LOCAL   EFFORTS  27 

a  rule  of  the  society  that  every  member  take  up  one 
share  value  £5,  and  that  he  should  pay  6d.  a  week  for 
three  years  and  spend  at  the  store  5s.  a  week  for  the 
same  period^ — a  rather  useful  wa}^  of  making  co- 
operators  I 

For  many  years  the  society'  was  a  "  close  corporation." 
being  Hmited  to  forty  members,  and  the  Committee 
voting  in  whom  they  pleased.  As  there  were  generally 
three  or  four  candidates  for  each  vacancy,  they  had  to 
go  through  a  species  of  electioneering,  in  which 
"  treating  "  seems  to  have  played  a  part,  for,  said  the 
late  Mr.  Joshua  Randle  on  one  occasion,  "  it  was  about 
two  to  one  you  could  not  get  into  the  society  at  this 
time,  unless  you  previously  stood  a  couple  of  pluck 
suppers."  Up  to  1862  the  membership  never  exceeded 
the  prescribed  forty.  This  may  have  been  due  in  part 
to  "  vested  interests  !  " 

The  society,  of  course,  experienced  v'icissitudes. 
In  1864  there  were  debts  and  difficulties,  and  a  com- 
position of  15s.  in  the  pound  was  paid  to  a  Coventry 
gentleman  who  is  said  to  have  been  the  only  creditor. 
Up  to  1873  the  society  had  been  a  credit  society.  In 
the  autumn  of  that  year,  however,  the  cash  S3'stem 
was  adopted,  the  society  was  saved,  and  thenceforward 
made  progress.  Fifteen  years  later  (1888)  there  were 
upwards  of  300  members,  whose  capital  in  the  society 
was  £3,243  ;  and  the  audited  accounts  showed  that, 
without  reckoning  the  reserve  fund  of  £315,  the  assets 
exceeded  the  UabiUties  by  £596. 

The  great  increase  in  the  population  of  Foleshill  in 
recent  years  has  afforded  opportunities  for  expansion 
of  the  society's  operations.     In  addition  to  the  "  Central 


28  EARLY   LOCAL    EFFORTS 

Stores  "  (Lockhiirst  Lane),  the  society  now  has  four 
grocery  branches  and  three  drapery  shops,  also  a  boot 
shop,  hardware  and  crockery  department,  clothing  and 
ready-made  garment  department,  two  coal  wharves 
(canal  and  railway),  and  a  bakery.  The  membership 
has  grown  until  in  x\ugust,  1916,  it  was  2,700  ;  members' 
capital  stood  at  £30,000  ;  the  annual  trade  done  amounts 
to  upwards  of  £80,000,  and  the  rebate  (or  "  dividend  ") 
on  members'  purchases  is  2s.  6d.  in  the  pound.  The 
society  has  for  a  long  time  had  its  "  Educational  Com- 
mittee," of  course  ;  and  there  is  also  a  branch  of  the 
Women's  Co-operative  Guild. 


Chapter  \'I. 


Early  Local  Advocates. 

DURING  the  ante-jubilee  period  many  contribu- 
tions appeared  in  the  local  press  on  the  subject 
of  Co-operation. 

Among  the  protagonists  in  the  new  moral  movement 
was  Mr.  Joseph  Squiers,  Secretary  of  the  Labourers  and 
Artizans'  Society.  Referring  to  the  tenPi  "  Christian 
Socialism,'"  which  he  did  not  like.  Mr.  Holyoake  says  it 
first  appeared  as  the  title  of  a  lettt?r  in  the  "  New  Moral 
World"  of  November  7th,  1840,  signed  by  Mr.  Squiers, 
who  dated  from  Thomas  Street  Infant  School,  Coventry. 
But,  he  adds,  "  there  were  several  societies  of  '  Christian 
Co-operators  '  about  1830."  Mr.  Squiers  lived  to  a 
ripe  old  age  and  attended  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society  in  1S76. 
In  his  last  years  he  was  a  pensioner  of  Bond's  Charity. 

In  1 841,  Miss  Mary  Hennell  wrote  an  "  Outline  of 
the  \'arious  Social  Systems  and  Communities  which 
have  been  Founded  on  the  Principle  of  Co-operation." 
This  was  pubhshed  as  an  appendix  to  Mr.  Charles  Bray's 
"  Philosophy  of  Necessity."  A  critic  says,  "Incomplete, 
unclassified,  at  once  redundant  and  deficient,  it  is  yet 
interesting,  and  has  the  merit  of  being  the  first  book  of 
its  kind." 


30  EARLY   LOCAL   ADVOCATES 

Coventry  furnished  at  least  three  eminent  Co-operative 
missionaries,  viz.  : — Mr.  John  CoUer  Farn,  Dr.  John 
Watts,  and  Mr.  Charles  Shufflebotham. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Farn  was  born  at  Northampton,  April,  1814. 
His  father  was  a  shoemaker,  and  migrated  to  Coventry 
whilst  John,  his  eldest  son,  was  still  a  boy.  He  acquired 
but  a  moderate  education  in  "  the  three  R's."  In  due 
course  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  a  ribbon  weaver, 
at  which  occupation  he  remained  until  1841.  He  had 
a  burning  desire  for  intellectual  improvement.  His  first 
appearance  was  at  a  "  teetotal  "  meeting,  and  he  delivered 
a  three  minutes'  speech  which,  he  said,  had  taken  him 
three  weeks  to  compose.  Constant  practice  at  a  Mutual 
Improvement  Society  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and 
at  meetings  held  for  the  promotion  of  temperance  and 
other  social  reforms,  made  him  a  fluent,  at  all  times  a 
forcible,  and  frequently  an  eloquent  speaker.  In  1841 
his  talents  won  for  him  an  appointment  as  an  advocate 
of  the  principles  of  the  "  New  Moral  World."  He 
proceeded  to  South  Staffordshire,  removed  to  Dundee, 
and  for  a  short  time  hved  in  Glasgow,  whence  in  1843 
he  returned  to  Coventry  and  his  former  occupation. 
After  the  collapse  of  the  ribbon  trade  in  i860,  he  took 
to  journalism^ — first  as  a  reporter,  then  as  manager, 
and  afterwards  as  an  editor.  For  a  time  he  was  editor 
of  the  Co-operative  News,  on  which  he  did  good  service 
at  a  critical  period.  He  was  in  great  request  as  a  public 
speaker,  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  Co-operative 
press,  and  at  the  first  Congress,  in  London,  he  was 
selected  to  read  a  paper  on  "  Causes  of  Failure  in  the 
Co-operative  Stores."  He  was  characterised  by  the 
strict  morahty  that  is  common  to  Unitarians,  and  a 


EARLY    LOCAL    ADVOCATES  3I 

love  of  practical  usefulness.  It  was  said  that  at  the 
time  of  his  death  he  had  probably  addressed  more 
Co-operative  gatherings  than  any  other  worker  in  the 
movement.  Mr.  Farn  addressed  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Coventr}'  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society  in 
St.  Mary's  Hall  on  October  31st,  1876.  He  died  at 
Manchester  on  October  13th,  1881,  aged  67.  Said  the 
Co-operative  News  :  "  It  is  as  a  friend  of  the  poor  that 
Mr.  Farn  best  deserves  to  be  gratefully  remembered. 
Knowing  and  sharing  their  burdens,  while  striving 
incessantly  to  amehorate  or  remove  them,  he  has  lived 
an  honourable  and  useful  hfe,  and  has  died  regretted 
by  all  who  have  worked  with  or  known  him." 

Dr.  John  Watts  was  born  March  24th,  1818,  the  son 
of  a  Coventry  ribbon  weaver,  and  one  of  a  family  of 
twelve.  After  receiving  a  scanty  education  at  Baker, 
Billing  and  Crow's  Charity  School,  he  was  from  his 
thirteenth  to  his  twentieth  year  assistant  secretary  and 
hbrarian  of  the  Coventry  Mechanics'  Institution.  This 
was  originated  in  1828,  its  principal  objects  being  to 
promote  hterary  and  scientific  pursuits  among  working 
people  by  means  of  a  library  and  classes.  The 
Institution  first  held  its  meetings  in  an  obscure  room 
in  Bayley  Lane,  but  ultimately  acquired  premises  on 
the  east  side  of  Hertford  Street,  which  are  now  used  for 
the  Coventry  Savings  Bank.  At  the  Mechanics'  In- 
stitution, John  Watts  accompHshed  his  self -education, 
and  did  the  secretarial  work  while  Mr.  John  Gulson 
was  honorary  secretary  of  the  Institution.  He  after- 
wards became  a  lecturer  on  the  principles  of  Robert 
Owen,  and  visited  man\'  towns,  although  a  few  years 
later  he  arrived  at  the  conviction  of  their  impracticability. 


32  EARLY   LOCAL    ADVOCATES 

In  July,  1840,  he  removed  to  Manchester  ;  then  for  a 
short  time  he  hved  in  Glasgow,  returning  to  Manchester 
in  1 841,  where  for  a  few  years  he  conducted  a  boys' 
school.  Diligently  pursuing  his  private  studies,  in  1844 
he  obtained  from  the  celebrated  University  of  Giessen 
the  degree  of  Ph.D.,  and  he  acquired  fame  as  an  educa- 
tional and  social  reformer.  He  also  took  an  active  part 
in  public  hfe,  and  becoming  one  of  Manchester's  most 
useful  citizens,  left  an  indehble  mark  on  many  of  its 
institutions,  at  the  same  time  largely  influencing  the 
current  of  opinion  on  several  of  the  most  important 
questions  of  the  da^^  particularly  that  of  national 
education.  Dr.  Watts  was  intimately  associated  with 
the  Co-operative  movement  throughout  his  life,  and 
frequently  lectured  and  addressed  meetings  in  support 
of  it.  In  1869  he  read  a  paper  at  the  Co-operative 
Congress  in  London  ;  with  the  Marquis  of  Ripon  and 
the  Bishop  of  Manchester,  he  was  a  president  of  the 
Congress  at  Manchester,  in  1878  ;  and  in  the  C.W.S. 
Annual,  1885,  was  pubhshed  an  article  from  his  pen 
on  "  Primary  Education  in  England."  For  a  time 
Dr.  Watts  was  principal  contributor  to  the  Co-operative 
News  ;  he  wrote  numerous  treatises  on  economic 
subjects,  and  articles  for  the  leading  periodicals.  In 
1875  he  was  instrumental  in  the  estabUshment  of  the 
Provident  Dispensaries  Branch  of  the  Manchester  and 
Salford  District  Provident  Society,  on  the  model  of  the 
Coventry  Provident  Dispensary.  "  He  was  dis- 
tinguished," writes  Mr.  Holyoake,  "  for  his  high  character 
and  remarkable  practical  ability."  He  died  at  Old 
Trafford,  Manchester,  on  February  7th,  1887.  Dr. 
John  Watts  had  relatives  who  still  reside  in  Coventry  ; 


I 


J 


EARLY   LOCAL    ADVOCATES  33 

and  he  is  the  subject  of  a  memoir  in  the  Dictionarv  of 
National  Biography. 

Mr.  Charles  Shufflebotham  was  a  Coventry  man, 
and  spent  his  Ufe  in  Coventry.  Born  January  loth, 
1826,  eldest  son  of  Mr.  Samuel  Shufflebotham,  watch 
manufacturer,  Chapel  Fields,  Nature,  it  has  been  said, 
intended  him  for  a  journalist,  but  Fate  bound  him  to 
the  watch  trade.  Thoughtful  and  studious  from  his 
youth  up,  his  reading  was  deep,  wide,  and  varied. 
From  the  standpoint  of  a  well-ordered  intelhgence,  he 
was  led  to  a  feehng  of  intolerance  against  social  con- 
ditions and  a  desire  to  help  in  solving  the  problems  of 
the  day.  He  thus  became  progressive  in  his  \iews, 
and  ever  ready  to  help  in  any  real  measures  for  improving 
the  lot  of  the  people. 

Early  in  hfe  Mr.  Shufflebotham  identified  himself 
with  what  was  then  called  the  "Teetotal"  movement, 
and  he  remained  an  abstainer  from  alcoholic  drinks 
throughout  his  hfe.  In  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth 
century  he  became  interested  in  practical  education, 
and  with  a  few  hke-minded  friends,  started  a  school, 
which  was  held  on  Sundays  in  rooms  at  the  Corn 
Exchange  Buildings,  Hertford  Street,  and  where  instruc- 
tion was  given  in  "  the  three  R's,"  big  boys  of  fourteen 
up  to  eighteen  years  of  age  learning  for  the  hrst  time 
the  Enghsh  alphabet  and  simple  arithmetic.  It  was 
not  a  Sunday  School  in  the  conventional  sense,  because 
the  curriculum  did  not  include  the  teaching  of  rehgion. 
Mr.  Shufflebotham  w^as  keenly  concerned  with  the 
general  diffusion  of  knowledge.  It  is  related  that, 
being  at  a  meeting  when  the  estabhshment  of  a  Free 
Library  was  objected  to  on  the  ground  that  it  would 


34  EARLY   LOCAL    ADVOCATES 

be  beginning  at  the  wrong  end,  as  free  education  should 
come  first,  he  replied,  "  So  favourable  am  I  to  education 
that  I  would  begin  at  any  end."  The  argument  was 
logical,  and  in  the  phrasing  there  was  a  turn  of  humour 
that  helped  to  win  the  controversy.  Mr.  Shuffle  bo  tham 
was  of  such  a  cheerful  disposition  that  it  was  always  a 
pleasure  to  be  in  his  company.  He  ever  looked  towards 
the  sun.  He  was  most  optimistic,  possessed  a  constant 
fund  of  humour,  and  seemed  always  to  anticipate  the 
good  time  coming  when  there  would  be  enough  of 
happiness  to  go  all  round.  He  was,  too,  so  intellectual 
without  assertiveness  that  intercourse  with  him  was 
never  unprofitable.  He  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  many 
eminent  men,  both  nationally  and  locally,  of  dissimilar 
views  on  certain  subjects,  and  to  know  him  was  to  hold 
him  in  the  highest  estimation.  Yet  withal  he  was 
singularly  modest.  His  chief  hobbies  were  gardening 
and  beekeeping,  and  to  provide  greater  opportunities 
for  both,  he  many  years  ago  built  a  house  in  Whor  Lane 
— now  known  by  the  euphonious  name  of  Beechwood 
Avenue — a  rural  spot  so  isolated  at  that  time  that  it 
seemed  almost  in  the  wilderness.  It  used  to  be  his 
delight  to  welcome  co-operative  and  other  friends  at 
"  Canley  Cottage,"  as  the  house  was  called,  show  his 
bees  and  talk  about  these  wonderful  creatures. 

Mr.  Shufflebotham  was  very  musical.  He  had  a  light 
tenor  voice,  and  frequently  sang.  One  of  his  favourite 
songs — perhaps  the  favourite — was  written  by  Charles 
Swain  (born  1803,  died  1874),  sometimes  called  the 
Manchester  Poet.  Entitled  "  Aladdin's  Lamp,"  the 
song  was  a  poetic  combination  of  modern  Western 
sentiment  and  Oriental  imagery  in  expression,  set  to  an 


EARLY   LOCAL   ADVOCATES  35 

agreeable  melody.  Words,  music,  and  singer  were 
always  felt  to  be  in  perfect  accord.  The  song  was  as 
follows  : — 

T. 

Oh,  had  I  but  Aladdin's  lamp, 

Tho'  only  for  a  day, 
I'd  try  to  find  a  link  to  bind 
The  joys  that  pass  away  : 
I'd  try  to  bring  an  angel's  wing 

Upon  the  earth  again  ; 
And  build  True  Worth  a  throne  on  earth, 

A  throne  belov'd  by  men  ! 
It  should  be  May — and  always  May  ; 
I'd  wreathe  the  world  with  flow'rs  ; 
I'd  robe  the  barren  wilderness 
And  bring  life  happy  hours. 

Oh,  had  I  but  Aladdin's  lamp, 

Tho'  only  for  a  day, 
I'd  try  to  find  a  link  to  bind 
The  joys  that  pass  away. 


II. 

I'd  soothe  the  lorn  and  desolate, 

Increase  the  widow's  store  ; 
And  Industry  should  wear  a  smih^ 

It  never  wore  before  I 
Where'er  there  dwelt  unhappiness 

I'd  speed  my  magic  way  ; 
And  none  should  be  in  poverty, 

Xor  dread  the  coming  day  I 
It  should  be  May — and  always  May  : 
I'd  wreathe  the  world  with  flow'rs 
I'd  robe  the  barren  wilderness, 
And  bring  life  happy  hours. 

Oh,  had  I  but  Aladdin's  lamp, 

Tho'  only  for  a  day, 
I'd  try  to  find  a  link  to  bind 
The  joys  that  pass  away. 


36  EARLY    LOCAL    ADVOCATES 

It  is  easy  to  imagine  that  had  Mr.  Shufflebotham 
been  pressed  with  an  enquiry  as  to  his  rehgion,  he  would 
have  softly  quoted  Abou  Ben  Adhem's  reply  to  the  angel 
in  Leigh  Hunt's  poem, 

"  I  pray  thee,  then, 
Write  me  as  one  that  loves  his  fellow-men." 

Mr.  Shufflebotham  found  his  social  ideals  embodied 
in  Co-operation,  which  he  advocated  on  the  highest 
principles.  In  the  early  fifties  he,  with  friends  and 
relatives,  assisted  in  the  founding  of  a  co-operative 
distributive  society,  but  owing  largely  to  unsound 
management  and  the  emigration  of  the  principal  mem- 
bers the  societ}^  proved  a  terminable  one.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  members  of  the  Coventry  Co-operative 
Watch  Manufacturing  Society,  started  in  1876,  and 
succeeded  the  late  Mr.  Thomas  Wigston  as  secretary 
and  general  manager,  a  position  which  he  held  for  the 
remainder  of  his  life — a  period  of  about  seventeen  years. 
The  society  was  founded  on  profit-sharing  principles, 
and  flourished  until  cheap  machine-made  watches 
pushed  hand-made  watches  out  of  the  market.  The 
society's  watches  had,  however,  and  still  have  an 
excellent  reputation.  Mr.  Shufflebotham,  for  some 
reason,  never  became  a  member  of  the  Coventry 
Perseverance  Co-operative  Society,  but  he  was  a  close 
personal  friend  of  the  first  president  (Mr.  Hepworth) 
and  other  leaders  ;  he  was  ever  ready  to  assist  the 
society,  and  on  several  occasions  he  addressed  its 
meetings.  He  was  more  particularly  concerned  with 
co-operative  production.  But  on  the  co-operative 
movement  generally  he  was  regarded  as  an  authority, 


EARLY   LOCAL   ADVOCATES  37 

and  he  was  frequently  called  upon  to  speak  at  con- 
ferences and  other  gatherings  in  various  parts  of  the 
country.  For  the  Co-operative  Congress  at  Dewsbury, 
in  1888,  he  prepared,  and  read,  two  papers  :  (i)  "  What 
should  be  the  true  relations  between  a  Wholesale 
Distributive  Society  and  the  Productive  Societies  whose 
work  it  may  sell  ?  "  ;  (2)  "  Ought  Productive  Works  to 
be  carried  on  as  Departments  of  Wholesale  Societies  ; 
if  so,  under  what  conditions  ?  "  These  were  prize 
papers  ;  they  not  only  appeared  in  the  official  report 
of  the  Congress,  but  were  afterwards  separatelv  printed 
and  issued  b}'  the  Central  Co-operative  Board,  Man- 
chester. 

At  a  district  conference  held  at  Coventry  on  Nov.  4th, 
1893,  Mr.  Shuffiebotham  gave  a  paper  which  was  verv 
favourably  received  by  a  large  number  of  delegates, 
being  characterised  by  his  customary  thoughtful  and 
concise  style.  The  subject  was  :  "  Bad  Trade — its 
Causes  and  Remedies."  He  set  forth  four  of  these  : 
(i)  Bad  seasons  and  bad  harvests  ;  but  he  pointed  out 
that  with  free  exchanges  and  free  trade  the  surplus  of 
one  part  could  and  would  reheve  the  suffering  part. 
(2)  Unhmited  competition,  combined  with  invention  of 
labour-sa\ing  machinery  ;  the  only  remed\'  for  which 
was  Co-operation,  enabling  the  working  classes  to  be- 
come capitahsts,  and  so  obtain  the  handles  to  wealth 
which  machines  really  were.  (3)  The  credit  system  : 
and  he  maintained  that  Co-operation  was  the  pioneer 
of  cash  dealings.  (4)  Strikes  and  lock-outs,  which  often 
made  bad  trade  worse  ;  the  remedy  in  certain  trades, 
if  not  in  all,  being  Co-operation  in  some  form  of  profit- 
sharing. 


38  EARLY    LOCAL    ADVOCATES 

Mr.  Shutflebotham  liad  been  in  declining  health  for 
some  time  when,  in  the  spring  of  1894,  he  went  to  the 
Sunderland  Congress  as  delegate  of  the  Coventry 
Co-operative  Watch  Manufacturing  Society,  and  died 
at  Sunderland  quite  suddenly  from  heart  failure  on 
Ma}/-  17th,  aged  68.  He  was  buried  in  the  Coventry 
Cemetery. 


So,  when  a  great  man  dies. 

For  years  beyond  our  ken 
The  hght  he  leaves  behind  him  hes 

L'pon  the  paths  of  men. 

Longfellow. 


\ 


Chapter  VII. 


Y 


The  Germ  of  a  Great  Enterprise. 

All  men  admire  the  oak,  but  who  thinks  of  the 
acorn  from  which  it  grew  ?  " — Mazzini. 

OUXG  men  of  the  present  day  can  but  dimly 

conceive  the  condition    of    things  in  the  middle 

of  the  nineteenth  century. 

There    was    no    compulsory    elementary    education  ; 

there  were  no  evening  continuation  schools,  no  technical 

institutes,  no  working  men's  universities  in  the  shape 

of  free  public  hbraries. 

Efforts  were  not  wholly  wanting,  however,  to  provide 
facilities  for  self -education,  and  many  of  these  were  in 
connection  with  places  of  worship,  Anglican  as  well  as 
Nonconformist.  Among  the  most  useful  institutions 
were  societies  of  young  men,  which  met  periodically 
for  the  "  mutual  improvement  "  of  their  members. 
A  rehgious  element  of  course  there  was,  but  the  main 
objects  were  intellectual — the  study  of  Uterature. 
science,  history,  biography,  combined  with  discussions 
which,  while  eliciting  truth,  gave  style  to  articulate 
speech.  Crude  as  some  might  nowadays  think  the 
work  of  these  societies  to  have  been,  they  awakened 
thought  ;    they    encouraged    self-help  ;    they    promoted 


40  GERM    OF    A    GREAT    ENTERPRISE 

feelings  of  comradeship  and  of  emulation  ;  they  stimu- 
lated desire  for  social  progress  ;  engendered  good 
citizenship,  with  appreciation  of  voluntary  and  associated 
work.  And  withal  they  did  much  for  the  good  of  the 
community.  Many  a  man  who  has  filled  a  worthy 
position  in  civic  and  national  affairs  has  owed  his  start 
in  life  to  the  influence  of  these  or  kindred  organisations. 

Mr.  Samuel  Smiles,  the  well-known  author,  has  told 
how  lectures  to  young  men  of  the  humblest  rank, 
meeting  for  mutual  improvement,  formed  the  basis 
of  his  book  on  "  Self -Help,"  and  led  to  his  writing 
other  interesting  volumes.      He  says  : — 

"  These  youths — and  there  were  also  grown  men 
amongst  them — proceeded  to  teach  themselves  and 
each  other,  reading  and  writing,  arithmetic,  and 
geography ;  and  even  mathematics,  chemistry  and 
some  of  the  modern  languages.  About  a  hundred 
young  men  thus  had  come  together  [in  a  northern 
town]  when,  growing  ambitious,  they  desired  to  have 
lectures  delivered  to  them  ;  and  then  it  was  that  the 
author  became  acquainted  with  their  proceedings. 
A  party  of  them  waited  on  him,  for  the  purpose  of 
inviting  him  to  dehv.T  an  introductory  address,  or,  as 
they  expressed  it,  'to  talk  to  them  a  bit  '  ;  prefacing 
the  request  by  a  modest  statement  of  what  they  had 
done  and  what  they  were  doing.  He  could  not  fail 
to  be  touched  by  the  admirable  self-helping  spirit 
which  they  had  displayed  ;  and,  though  entertaining 
but  sHght  faith  in  popular  lecturing,  he  felt  that  a  few 
words  of  encouragement,  honestly  and  sincerely  uttered, 
might  not  be  without  some  good  effect.  And  in  this 
spirit  he  addressed  them  on  more  than  one  occasion, 


GERM    OF   A    GREAT    ENTERPRISE  4I 

citing  examples  of  what  men  had  done,  as  illustrations 
of  what  each  might,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  do  for 
himself  ;  and  pointing  out  that  their  happiness  and 
well-being  as  individuals  in  after  hfe  must  necessaiily 
depend  mainly  upon  themselves — upon  their  own 
dihgent  self -culture,  self -discipline,  and  self-control — 
and,  above  all,  on  that  honest  and  upright  performance 
of  individual  duty  which  is  the  glory  of  manly  character. 

"  There  was  nothing  in  the  slightest  degree  new  or 
onginal  in  this  counsel,  which  was  as  old  as  the  Proverbs 
of  Solomon,  and  possibly  quite  as  familiar.  But 
old-fashioned  though  the  advice  may  have  been,  it  was 
welcomed.  The  youths  went  forward  in  their  course  ; 
worked  on  with  energy  and  resolution  ;  and  reaching 
manhood,  the\^  went  forth  in  various  directions  into  the 
world,  w^here  many  of  them  now  occupy  positions  of 
trust  and  usefulness."     (i860.) 

Though  the  story  be  repeated  o'er  and  o'er  the  half 
will  never  be  told  probably  of  Coventry's  indebtedness 
to  its  "  mutual  improvement  societies  "  of  fifty  and 
sixty  years  ago.  West  Orchard  Congregational  Church 
has  great  traditions,  and  not  the  least  of  these  is  in 
respect  to  its  helpfulness  to  young  men  ;  for  many 
years  it  had  a  young  men's  society  of  a  high  order. 

It  scarcely  needs  saving  that  the  success  of  an\- 
institution  depends  largely  upon  its  leaders,  and  the 
society  connected  with  West  Orchard  Chapel  had  for 
its  chairman,  half  a  century  ago,  one  who  was  keenly 
concerned  for  their  social  w^eil-being.  Thi>  was  Mr. 
Joseph  Hepworth,  a  Yorkshireman,  who  occupied  a 
responsible  office  in  the  service  of  the  Coventry  Gas 
Company.      Mr.  Hepworth's  rehgion  was  not  confined 


42  GERM    OF    A    GREAT    ENTERPRISE 

to  Sabbath  Day  ordinances  ;  it  was  of  a  practical  order 
also — he  carried  it  into  e very-da}^  life,  and  some  testi- 
monials to  his  character,  worth,  and  work  will  be  found 
in  Chapter  XLVIL,  "  Reminiscences,"  Part  I. 

It  was  in  the  West  Orchard  Young  ]\Ien's  Societ}', 
and  during  Mr,  Hepworth's  chairmanship,  that  the  idea 
of  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society 
was  conceived.  Those  young  men  httle  imagined  that 
the  seed  they  were  about  to  sow  was  as  the  acorn  is 
to  the  oak. 


Chapter  VIII. 


Starting  the  Society. 

'■  The  health  of  the  soul  is  courage  and  prudence." 

— St.  Chrvsostom. 

THE  ideas  first  formed  in  the  Young  Men's  Class 
at  West  Orchard  Chapel  developed,  through  dis- 
cussions, aggregation   of  interested  persons,  and 
prehminary  arrangements,  until  they  materiahsed. 

A  provisional  committee  secured  the  title  of  the  pro- 
posed society  by  registration  on  March  14th,  1867. 
Then  on  the  19th  March,  a  general  meeting  was  held, 
when  the  steps  taken  by  the  provisional  committee 
were  confirmed  by  formal  resolution,  and 

The  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society  " 
was  duly  constituted. 

A  code  of  rules  was  adopted,  based  on  the  model 
provided  by  those  of  the  Rochdale  Equitable  Pioneers' 
Society. 

The  first  officers  and  committee  were  elected  as 
follows  : — 

President  : 
Mr.  Joseph  Hepworth,  Accountant. 

Secretary  : 
Mr.  Alfred  C.  Scrivener,  Clerk  at  Coventrv  Gasworks. 


46  STARTINX    THE    SOCIETY 

Treasurer  : 
Mr.  Arthur  Harris,  Watch  Manufacturer. 

Committee  : 
Mr.  William  Henry  Ansell,  watch  balance  maker. 
Mr.  Enoch  Athersych,  foreman  woollen  weaver. 
Mr.  John  Biggs,  elastic  web  weaver. 
Mr.  James  Hoyle,  operative  woollen  weaver. 
Mr.  Rochester  Illingworth,  clerk. 
Mr.  John  Thomas  Lower,  watch  motioner. 
Mr.  Henry  Smith,  elastic  web  weaver. 
Mr.  Caleb  Wade,  foreman  woollen  weaver. 

Auditors  : 

Messrs.  Robert  Galloway  and  J.  H.  Horsfall, 

Accountants  at  Leigh  Mills. 

As  might  have  been  expected,  it  was  asked  "  What 
can  a  handful  of  clerks,  and  weavers,  and  watchmakers 
know  about  business  management  ?  They  have  no 
capital  worth  speaking  of,  no  trade  experience,  no 
knowledge  of  the  difficulties.  They  will  be  sure  to  make 
a  mess  of  things  I  " 

Pessimists  assert  themselves  at  the  beginning  of  any 
new  movement  ;  and  if  they  were  allowed  to  rule, 
what  progress  would  be  made  in  the  world  ?  Prophets 
of  evil  did  not  know  these  purposeful  co-operators  ; 
did  not  perceive  they  were  in  earnest,  and  that  they 
meant  business.  Difficulties  of  course  there  would  be. 
What  were  difficulties,  but  things  to  be  overcome  ? 
Courage  and  prudence  would  remove  mountains.  Was 
it  not  proverbial  that  difficulties,  insuperable  in  theory, 
had  a  habit  of  disappearing  when  boldly  tackled  ? 
These  young  men  had  their  visions  ;  they  had  capacities  ; 


STARTING    THE    SOCIETY 


47 


and  they  were  determined  to  work  out  their  own  social 
salvation,  but  not  in  fear  and  trembling. 

"  Capital  "  ?  Well,  sufficient  for  a  start  could  be 
raised  b}'  a  little  economy,  a  little  more  thrift  ;  and 
"  Many  a  little  mak's  a  mickle." 

"  Experience  ?  "  Well,  that  could  be  acquired. 
And  had  they  not  been  taught  that  "  tribulation  worketh 
patience  ;  and  patience,  experience  ;  and  experience, 
hope  ;  and  hope  maketh  not  ashamed  "  ?  They  were 
old  enough,  and  willing,  to  learn. 

"  Each  for  all  and  all  for  each,"  and  "  Xil  desper- 
andum,"  were  their  mottoes. 

At  the  first  meeting  members  were  prudently  asked 
how  many  shares  they  would  take  up,  and  what  amount 
of  money  would  be  forthcoming  ?     That  mxcant  Capital. 

At  a  further  meeting,  in  a  week's  time,  members  w^ere 
courageously  asked  to  hand  in  an  estimate  of  the  goods 
that  were  likely  to  be  required.     That  meant  Trade. 

An  encouraging  expression  of  enthusiasm  and  faith 
in  the  cause  was  given  at  this  second  meeting  by  Mr. 
Thos.  G.  Read,  a  well-known  ribbon  weaver,  who  said 
he  felt  the  principles  of  Co-operation  were  true,  and 
although  he  had  been  bitten  twice  severely,  he  was 
willing  to  try  a  third  time.  ^Moreover,  he  urged  strict 
adherence  to  the  rule  of  "no  credit." 

A  subsequent  speaker  ad\ised  that  the  society  should 
be  thoroughly  democratic  in  its  operations  ;  no  pre- 
ference should  be  given  to  anyone  because  he  wore 
better  clothes  than  others.  Mistakes  of  that  kind  had 
been  a  cause  of  pre\ious  disasters.  All  should  be  on 
equal  footing. 

These  sentiments  received  general  approval. 


48  STARTING    THE    SOCIETY 

According  to  the  ledger  list,  the  first  members — those 

-were  as  follows  : 


rho  joined  durin 

g  the  month  of  March — ' 

I. 

Joseph  Hepworth. 

2. 

Alfred  C.  Scrivener. 

3- 

Samuel  Atkins. 

4- 

William  Tatlow. 

5- 

Arthur  Nelson. 

6. 

Edward  Welsby. 

7- 

Andrew  Furlong. 

8. 

James  Pollard. 

9- 

Thomas  Coltman 

10. 

Enoch  Athersych. 

II. 

Wilham  Allum. 

12. 

William  Henry  Ansell 

13- 

James  Fowkes. 

14- 

Ann  West  wood. 

15- 

Harriet  Furlong. 

i6. 

John  Callow. 

I/- 

Joseph  Young. 

i8. 

James  Hoyle. 

19. 

John  Thomas  Lower. 

20. 

Isaac  Hamson. 

21. 

Rochester  Illingworth. 

22. 

Matthew  Dodwell. 

23- 

Henry  Penn. 

24- 

Thomas  Henry  Adams 

25- 

John  Biggs. 

26. 

Arthur  Re\Tiolds. 

2/- 

George  Smith. 

28. 

James  Scrivener. 

29. 

Solomon  Scrivener. 

30. 

Henr}-  Smith 

J 


Some  of  the  Pioneers. 


Some  of  the  Pioneers. 


STARTING   THE    SOCIETY  5! 

31.  Caleb  Wade. 

32.  Elizabeth  Walsgrove. 

33.  David  Dowell. 

34.  Elizabeth  Huddleston. 

35.  Mary  A    Illingworth. 

36.  Charles  Ansell. 

37.  Arthur  Harris. 

38.  J.  W.  Lewis. 

39.  Ebenezer  Ilhngworth 

40.  Samuel  Crosby. 

41.  Charlotte  Webster. 

42.  William  Adams. 

43.  James  Eyre. 

44.  WilHam  Jarrams. 

45.  Charles  West. 

46.  Thomas  G.  Read. 

47.  John  Keane. 

48.  ^  Clarke. 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  the  "  First  48  "  there  is  a 
leavening  of  the  gentler  sex  ;  no  burning  questions  of 
women's  wrongs  trouble  Co-operation— all  members 
enjoy  equal  rights,  and  are  differentiated  only  by  their 
zeal  and  sacrifice  for  the  cause. 

With  this  membership  of  48,  and  a  subscribed  capital 
of  sixty-four  pounds  and  nineteen  pence,  it  was  deter- 
mined to  start  business. 

How  small  a  beginning  when  compared  with  hugely- 
capitaHsed  companies  of  the  present  day  !  Does  it  not 
call  to  mind  the  illustration  of  a  grain  of  mustard  seed  ? 


Chapter  IX 


Beginning  Business. 

"  Go  on,  sir  ;  go  on  !  The  difficulties  you  meet 
will  resolve  themselves  as  you  advance.  Proceed, 
and  light  will  dawn,  and  shine  with  increased 
clearness  on  your  path." — D'Alembert. 

THE  first  official  books  of  the  society  are  extremely 
interesting  from  more  than  one  point  of  view. 
Some  of  them  are  a  httle  dilapidated  and  of 
ancient  appearance  ;  for  they  were  in  existence  before 
the  Flood- — the  Coventry  Flood,  1900-1.  On  the  whole, 
however,  they  are  in  a  satisfactory  condition,  although 
some  of  their  leaves  stick  together  from  water  having 
Kqueficd  the  sizing  in  the  paper.  They  are  of  course 
highlv  valued  and  carefully  preserved.  The  entries 
are  still  legible,  despite  some  of  the  writing  having  been 
done  with  a  black  lead  pencil.  The  records  are  fairly 
full.  This  history  would  not  have  been  easy  to  prepare 
had  the  secretary  used  vanishing  ink  !  The  Committee 
Minute  Book — merely  a  school  exercise  book  in  paper 
board  covers — probably  cost  a  shilHng.  It  is  noticeable 
that  use  was  made  of  Pitman's  system  of  shorthand. 
It  is  evident  that  the  committee  soon  set  to  work,  for 
the  first  entry  relates  to  a  meeting  on  April  2nd. 

A  necessary  preliminary  to  starting  business  consisted 
in  the  finding  of  suitable  premises  for  a  store  ;    and  a 


BEGINNING    BUSINESS  53 

small  shop  was  taken  at  36,  Cook  Street,  situated 
between  Chauntry  Place  and  St.  Agnes  Lane — a  not 
very  palatial  edifice  in  a  not  superlatively  salubrious 
situation — and  the  rent  was  /15  a  year. 

Here  business  was  begun  on  April  5th,  1867,  "  with 
a  carefulh^  selected  stock  of  high-class  goods,"  as 
advertisers  are  accustomed  to  declare  ;  the  committee 
being  their  own  managers,  their  own  weighers-up  and 
shop-assistants,  and  their  own  grocer's  porters.  To 
begin  with,  the  shop  was  open  three  times  a  week,  viz., 
Tuesday  and  Frida\'  evenings  from  7  to  9-15,  and 
Saturdays  from  5  till  10  p.m.  After  a  short  experience, 
however,  Thursday  was  substituted  for  Friday  ;  but  in 
October  it  was  decided  to  open  the  shop  each  evening 
of  the  week  except  Monday.  The  first  day's  takings 
amounted  to  the  sum  of  eight  shillings  and  ninepence- 
ha'penny  I 

What  an  interesting  series  of  pictures  could  have 
been  taken  at  these  times,  had  it  been  possible  to  bring 
a  cinematograph  into  operation  !  There  seems  to  have 
been  an  element  of  comedy  in  those  far-off  incidents  ; 
but  our  young  co-operators  were  men  of  earnest  purpose. 
They  aimed  at  something  more  than  playing  at  shop- 
keeping. 

One  of  the  earliest  members  was  Mr.  Luke  Dresser, 
for  many  years  actuar\^  of  the  Coventry  Sa\ings  Bank. 
He  is  remembered  as  a  gentleman  of  most  estimable 
character.  Mr.  Dresser  was  admitted  on  30th  April, 
and  on  going  to  make  purchases  at  the  Store  found  the 
president  behind  the  counter.  In  his  kindly  way 
Mr.  Dresser  chaffed  Mr.  Hepworth  on  ha\'ing  turned 
errocer's  assistant. 


54  BEGINNING    BUSINESS 

With  what  carefulness  the  society  began  operations 
may  be  gathered  from  the  records.  The  committee 
did  not  venture  without  trepidation  on  the  purchase 
of  a  coffee  mill,  or  of  a  pair  of  new  flour  scales  to  cost 
I2s.  6d.  Mr.  Athersych  was  solemnly  commissioned 
to  "  buy  two  pairs  of  tea  scales — copper — for  as  much 
less  than  los.  6d.  as  they  can  be  obtained  for,"  while 
two  members  were  charged  with  the  serious  responsi- 
bihty  of  "  looking  out  for  and  buying  a  pair  of  provision 
scales."  It  was  certainly  a  day  of  small  things  ;  but 
the  minutes  show  that  the  society  had  a  committee 
who,  if  they  had  any  vices  at  all,  certainly  could  not  be 
charged  -with  recklessness. 

The  fixing  of  retail  prices  was  a  task  that  required 
much  consideration,  and  it  is  noticeable  that  fifty 
years  ago  the  question  of  sugar  was  a  "  knotty  "  one. 
More  than  once  it  is  recorded  that  "  the  price  of  sugar 
was  again  discussed  at  great  length,"  and  it  was  decided 
to  give  no  bonus  on  that  article.  It  may  be  explained 
that  tradesmen  formerl}'  sold  their  sugar  "  under  cost 
price  "  when  other  articles  were  bought,  the  Co-operative 
Society  equahsing  matters  by  seUing  at  cost  price  net. 

In  accordance  with  the  Rochdale  precedent  the 
ordinary  shop  prices,  with  the  above  exception,  were 
charged  for  goods,  and  the  figures  are  not  without 
interest  at  the  present  time  : — 

First  Price  List,  April,  1867. 
Fntiis  : 

Currants 4d.  per  lb. 

Figs 7d. 

Lemon  Candies    lOd. 

Raisins      4d. 

Raisins,  Valentia     5d. 


BEGINNING    BUSINESS 


3D 


First  Price  List — con  tinned. 
Groceries  : 

Chicory      

Coffee    

Cocoa    

Sugar,  \\  hite  dry    .... 
Crystallized 

Titler's      5d. 

Lump rikd 

Svrup,  Golden      3d. 

Tea    2  -.  2  6.  3   -.  and  3  4 

,,      Best  Black  (3358) 3  4 

.,       (1002) 2   6 

,,      Green '2712)  2  6  and  (843)  3   -  per  lb 


2d.  per  packet. 
1    4  and  1  /6  per  lb. 
2d.  per  packet. 
4d.  per 
4  id.      . 


Provisions  : 

Arrowroot     ....    Id.  per  oz 
Baking  Powder.  Berwick's 

Butter 

Cheese,    Leicester    

Cheshire     

Corn  Flour        

Kice 3d.  per  lb 

4d.  per  lb 

Spices  : 

Allspice     .... 
Carrawa}"  Seed 

Ginger 

-Mustard    .... 

Nutmegs  .... 

Pepper,  Black 

White 


,  1    2  per  lb. 
2d.  per  packet. 
1    3  per  lb. 

lOd. 

in.^d.     ,, 

2d.  and  4d.per  packet. 
7  lbs.  for  1  ,8 
7  lbs.  for  2,- 


Hd.  per  oz.,  1    2  per  lb. 
Id.  per  oz.,  2  oz.  for  l^d. 

1  4  per  lb. 
Id.  per  oz..  small  tins  5d. 

2  6  per  lb. 

2  oz.  for  Ud.,  or  8d.  per  lb. 
Id.  per  oz.,  1  /-  per  lb. 


Stt)!dries  : 

Blacking 

Blacklead,  Xixey 

Blue,  powder  .  .  . 
ball     

Soap,  pale  wa.x    . 
Mottled 
Fancy     .  .  . 

Starch,  Glenlield . 


^d.  and  Id.  per  packet. 

Id.  per  packet. 

id.  per  packet. 

iOd.  per  lb. 

4d.  and  4^d.  per  lb. 

3 id.  per  lb. 

lid.  per  cake. 

id..  Id.,  and  2d.  per  packet. 


56  BEGINNING    BUSINESS 

Supplementary  List,  June  4th. 

Biscuits,  Digestiv^e  7d.perlb. 

Blue,  dark  cake  .  .  Id.  per  oz.,  3|d.  per  4  oz., 

1  /2  per  lb. 

Eggs,  foreign    ....  20  for  1  /- 

Ham      lOd.  per  lb. 

Sago      3id. 

Starch,  Reckitt's  6d. 

Tapioca     5d. 

At  the  end  of  April  the  price  of  lump  sugar  was 
advanced  to  6d.  per  lb.,  and  of  course  the  prices  generally 
were  revised  from  time  to  time  according  to  the  state 
of  the  markets. 

The  society  also  dealt  in  flour,  bacon,  lard,  tobacco, 
sweets,  etc.,  but  the  selHng  prices  are  not  recorded. 

Groceries  and  provisions  were  mostly  bought  of  local 
tradesmen  at  wholesale  rates,  or  on  a  percentage  basis, 
and  there  seems  to  have  been  a  certain  amount  of 
competition  for  orders. 

From  the  fact  that  a  member  was  empowered  to  act 
as  "  examiner  of  goods  both  for  weight  and  quahty," 
it  may  be  inferred  that  "  tricks  of  trade  "  were  not  alto- 
gether unknown  in  1867,  whatever  may  be  the  case  in 
these  days  ;  and  that  the  committee  were  determined 
to  prevent  dishonest  dealings  and  detect  "  mistakes." 
Casualties  did  occur,  however,  and  on  May  7th  it  was 
decided  that  "  as  some  of  the  bacon  has  gone  reesy, 
we  sell  it  off  as  best  we  can — not  going  below  cost  price." 

Possibly  in  this  connection  a  notice  was  exhibited 
that  written  complaints  and  suggestions  would  be 
received  by  the  secretary. 

Although  half  a  centu.  y  ago  Coventry  was  far  from 
being  included  in  the  large  towns  of  the  country,  and 


Original  and  First  Store,  Cook  Strei-t. 


IskGiNKiNG    BUSINESS  59 

Cook  Street  b}'  no  means  a  modern  highway,  the  locality 
of  the  Co-operative  Store  appears  to  have  been  little 
known,  for  at  a  general  meeting  on  May  21,  considerable 
discussion  took  place  on  a  motion  "  That  we  have  a 
number  of  handbills  issued  showing  our  whereabouts." 
This  idea  of  gi\'ing  the  pubhc  a  lesson  in  Co-operative 
geography  was  referred  to  the  committee. 

That  Coventry  had  not  recovered  its  wonted  prosperity 
is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  on  the  28th  May  a  member 
appUed  for  the  withdrawal  of  his  money  "  through 
distress,"  and  the  secretary  was  instructed  to  pay  the 
amount,  which  was  12s.  6d. 

The  society  had  hardly  made  a  start  when  an  unfore- 
seen danger  arose — that  of  becoming  too  wealthy,  or 
over-capitalised  !  Witness  the  following  entry  in  the 
month  of  June  : — 

"  The  question  of  allowing  persons  to  take  up  shares 
to  be  paid  up  by  instalments  was  introduced  by  Mr. 
Hoyle,  who  stated  the  case  as  follows  :  If  persons  were 
allowed  to  take  up  as  many  shares  as  they  choose,  they 
could  pay  up  a  certain  quantity,  and  go  on  paying  the 
other  by  instalments,  and  the  committee  would  have 
no  power  to  stop  them  paying  up  if  the  society  had  too 
much  money  in  hand."  In  the  result  the  secretary 
w^as  instructed  to  issue  no  more  than  five  shares  to  any 
one  person  who  proposed  to  pay  up  by  instal- 
ments. It  may  be  noted  that  interest  on  the 
society's  share  capital  was  at  that  time  5  per  cent,  per 
annum,  and  that  shares,  which  were  £i  each,  were 
withdrawable. 

Notwithstanding  all  difficulties — more  than  can  be 
here    enumerated — the    business    of    the    societv    made 


6o  BEGINNING    BUSINESS 

such  progress  that  in  ten  weeks  the  total  takings  were 
/114  IDS.  3d.,  or  over  £11  per  week  on  the  average  ! 
A  balance  sheet  was  prepared,  and  the  committee  found 
themselves  the  happy  possessors  of  a  disposable  surplus 
of  £3  13s.  iid. 

It  may  have  been  objected  that  there  was  not  much 
cause  for  elation,  the  surplus,  or  balance,  being  merely 
a  small  benevolent  fund  that  had  been  created  by 
unremunerated  services.  Such  a  view  takes  count 
only  of  what  is  visible,  while  good  judgment  considers 
the  whole  series  of  effects,  those  which  are  seen,  and 
those  which  are  not  seen,  but  unfold  in  succession. 
How  many  a  tradesman  has  found  himself  with  an  ad- 
verse balance  at  the  end  of  his  first  period  in  business, 
but  still  has  continued  working  for  those  effects  which 
are  not  seen  at  the  time  !  Is  it  not  the  fact  that  in  every 
enterprise  money  is  expended  on  foundations  ?  The 
balance  of  73s.  iid.  was  not  merely  on  paper,  it  was 
there  :  it  represented  something — it  meant,  for  example, 
that  co-operators  do  not  Hve  for  themselves  alone  ; 
it  demonstrated  the  fact  that  Co-operation  was  practic- 
able, and  that  trade  had  so  far  been  done  on  sound 
hues  ;  it  was  a  justification  for  the  behef  that  a  larger 
membership  with  extended  sales  would  mean  a  complete 
success.  And  this  was  now  to  be  anticipated.  More- 
over, experience  had  taught  valuable  lessons. 

Prudence  might  have  suggested  another  course  ; 
but  doubtless  there  were  good  reasons  for  the  resolve 
to  hand  back  the  balance  to  the  customers.  Accordingly 
a  return  was  made  to  members  of  4d.  in  the  pound  on 
the  amount  of  their  purchases,  and  of  2d.  in  the  pound 
to  non-members. 


BEGINNING    BUSINESS  ()1 

Trade  did  expand— it  mounted  up  to  £20  a  week, 
and  the  committee  proceeded  to  face  fresh  responsibilities. 
The  question  of  better  accommodation  became  urgent. 
On  September  24th,  therefore,  it  was  decided  to  remove 
from  Cook  Street  to  a  main  thoroughfare,  there  to  open 
a  more  convenient  store  and  employ  a  storekeeper. 

The  Committee  were  not  only  concerned  with  the 
management  of  a  gro\\'ing  business,  but  on  the  alert 
for  new  methods  of  pro \i ding  good  and  cheap  food. 
Some  authorities  on  hygiene  eschew  swine's  flesh,  in 
theory,  but — chew  it  in  practice  !  There  is  of  course 
a  difference  between  the  "  unclean  "  animal  of  the 
East  and  the  "  farm  fed  "  pig  of  the  Western  world, 
which  pro\ides  a  useful,  varied,  and  palatable  diet. 
There  is.  in  fact,  scarcely  any  animal  that  is  more  valu- 
able ;  and  the  committee  resolved  upon  pig  bu\ing. 
The  first  pig,  one  of  about  14  scores  in  weight,  was  bought 
almost  immediately,  and  on  the  6th  November  the 
"  prices  for  joints  of  pig  meat  "  were  fixed  as  follows  : — 

Head,  eye  piece 3d.  per  lb. 

Chawl    5d. 

Spare  Rib 7d. 

Ball  Rib    7d. 

Pie  Meat 7id. 

Leaf  .  .    7d.  per  lb.,  or  if  sold  altogether,  6^d.per  lb. 

Shortly  afterwards  the  committee  set  up  plant  for 
curing  bacon  and  rendering  lard. 

More  or  less,. ever  since  1867,  this  department  has  been 
maintained.  The  committee  never  went  into  public 
market,  but  seeking  some  guarantee  as  to  feeding,  they 
bought  largely  from  their  own  country  members. 
These  members,   too,   had   a  reciprocal   advantage,   for 


62  BEGINNING    BUSINESS 

not  onh^  did  the}'  obtain  foodstuffs  at  co-operative  rates, 
but  also  found  a  ready  market.  ^lany  a  co-operator 
has  jocularly  said  that  b}'  deahng  at  the  stores  "  he  has 
eaten  a  pig  into  the  stye."  May  it  not  be  said  with 
equal  truth  that  many  a  pig  has  eaten  its  way  into  the 
store  ?  Now  there  was  always  a  good  business  to  be 
done  in  this  particular  Hne,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that 
difficulties  hinder  a  continuance  of  its  acknowledged 
success. 

On  October  15th  it  was  decided  to  venture  on  the 
holding  of  a  tea  and  public  meeting. 


i 


Chapter  X. 


The  First  Public  Meeting  :    1867. 

•  Very  kind  of  the  cart,  but ?  " — The  Chairman. 

THE  meeting  to  publicly  inaugurate  the  new 
Co-operative  movement  was  held  on  November 
5th,  1867. 

A  more  suitable  place  of  assembly  could  scarcely 
have  been  found,  \iz.,  St.  Mary's  Hall,  the  centre  of 
the  ci\ic  life  of  Coventrv  for  many  generations. 

The  hopes  of  the  members  appear  to  have  been  fully 
realised,  the  proceedings  being  business-hke,  and  at 
the  same  time  interesting. 

First,  we  are  told,  there  was  a  tea-drinking. 

The  meeting,  over  which  F.  Wilson,  Esq.,  of  Leaming- 
ton, presided,  was  well  attended,  a  large  proportion  of 
those  present  being  working  men's  wives  and  daughters. 
who  gave  an  intelligent  hearing  to  the  speeches. 

There  was  of  course  a  two-fold  object  in  the  gathering  : 
it  was  not  only  to  provide  a  time  of  social  and  educative 
intercourse  for  members  and  friends,  but  also  to  make 
the  Society  publicly  known.  Therefore  advantage  was 
taken  of  the  opportunity  to  circulate  the  report  of  the 
society  for  the  second  quarter. 

In  this  now  historic  document  the  committee  con- 
ejratulated    the    members    on    the    societv's    favourable 


64  FIRST    PUBLIC    MEETING 

position.  In  addition  to  pa\ing  the  usual  interest  on 
capital,  placing  19s.  4jd.  to  the  depreciation  of  fixed 
stock,  and  carrj^ing  6s.  10 Jd.  to  the  educational  fund, 
they  recommended  a  return  of  is.  in  the  pound  on 
members'  purchases,  and  6d.  in  the  pound  on  the  pur- 
chases of  non-members,  carr3dng  to  the  credit  of  the 
next  quarter  the  sum  of  £3  6s.  lojd. 

Looking  back  from  the  present  position  it  may  be 
said  this  was  the  day  of  very  small  things,  but  the  report 
is  worthy  of  more  than  a  passing  thought,  showing  as 
it  does  that  the  management  was  in  the  hands  of  men 
who  could  be  trusted. 

The  points  may  be  set  out  as  follows  : — 

1.  Interest  on  capital  ; 

2.  Depreciation  ; 

3.  Education  ; 

4.  Moderate  dividend  (or  returns)  to  purchasers  ; 

5.  A  working  balance. 

Importance  is  attached  to  these  points,  because  they 
are  evidence  that  from  the  first  the  committee  were 
looking  to  the  future,  and  building  their  edifice  on  a 
sure  foundation. 

The  committee  were  fortunate  in  the  choice  of  chair- 
man of  the  meeting  (Mr.  Wilson),  who  said  he  had  been 
engaged  for  eighteen  years  in  working  out  the  principle 
of  Co-operation,  and  had  been  instrumental  in  the 
starting  of  several  stores.  He  admitted  that  some  of 
these  had  failed,  and  with  admirable  candour  he  stated 
the  reasons.  First,  some  of  them  looked  to  him  person- 
ally for  support  ;  the  others  fell  into  the  fatal  mistake 
of  giving  credit. 


I 
I 


FIRST    PUBLIC    MEETING  65 

Presumably,  although  the  chairman  is  not  reported 
to  have  said  so,  those  societies  which  relied  on  self-help, 
and  insisted  on  cash  pa\Tnents — two  cardinal  principles 
of  Co-operation — had  proved  successful. 

The  Chairman  went  on  to  say  that  he  did  not  beheve 
in  society  becoming  amalgamated,  but  he  did  beheve 
in  making  all  in  every  class  as  comfortable  as  they  could 
be  in  their  own  sphere.  He  contended  that  we  were 
too  isolated  :  the  great  want  was  more  association — 
more  hving  one  for  another.  Such  unselfishness  was 
of  the  essence  of  Co-operation.  They  had  lecturers 
coming  in  heaps,  and  telhng  them  of  men  who  had 
risen  to  eminence  ;  but  then  they  had  risen  by  putting 
others  down — what  they  had  got  they  had  taken  from 
others.  The  grocer}^  trade  was  but  the  A. B.C.  or  the 
CO  of  Co-operation.  \\Tiat  he  wanted  to  see  them  do 
was  to  go  on  to  the  OP.  There  was  the  village,  and  from 
the  to\\Ti  near  by  the  cart  came  with  grocery,  and  the 
\dllagers  thought  "  how  very  kind  of  the  cart  to  bring 
them  what  they  could  not  otherwise  get."  But,  then, 
why  should  they  not  have  a  cart  of  their  own  ?  In 
Rochdale  the\'  had  gone  on  from  one  thing  to  another, 
until  now  the\'  were  hkely  to  (h)op  along  to  a  farm. 

The  Chairman  then  referred  to  an  interesting  co- 
operative movement  which  had  been  inaugurated  by  a 
man  whom,  no  doubt,  they  all  knew — Mr.  Thomas 
Hughes.  Well,  he  and  others  heard  that  the  poor 
blacks  in  Jamaica  were  obHged  to  dispose  of  their 
goods  to  Jews,  who  gave  them  but  httle  for  their  goods, 
they  making  large  profits.  Now,  by  co-operation,  the 
society  purchased  the  produce  raised  by  the  poor  people 
of  Jamaica,  and  sold  it  at  a  profit  in  this  country.     Here 


66  FIRST   PUBLIC    MEETING 

they  purchased  hardware  which  was  sent  out  to  Jamaica, 
and  upon  this  they  also  made  a  profit.  As  the  shares 
in  that  society  were  only  {i  each,  the  poor  blacks  could 
buy  them,  and  so  become  partners  and  share  in  the 
benefits. 

Giving  instances  of  the  practical  working  out  of  the 
principle  of  Co-operation,  the  chairman  particularly 
mentioned  the  case  of  Messrs.  Briggs  and  Son.  The 
firm  found  they  were  only  getting  4  per  cent,  upon  their 
£80,000,  and  young  Mr.  Briggs  had  suggested  the 
adoption  of  the  co-operative  principle.  The  suggestion 
being  acted  upon,  they  now  found  they  got  10  per  cent. 
Instead  of  jealousy  and  strike,  they  greased  their  wheels 
with  mutual  goodwill,  and  things  went  on  smoothly. 

The  Chairman  concluded  by  wishing  the  Coventry 
Perseverance  Co-operative  Society  the  best  success. 

Judging  by  the  frequent  applause  the  chairman's 
address  proved  very  acceptable  to  the  meeting. 

The  interest  in  the  proceedings  was  evidently  sus- 
tained by  the  next  speaker, 

Mr.  Joseph  Hepworth,  president,  who  gave  an  account 
of  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  Perseverance  Society. 
They  began  little  more  than  six  months  since,  he  said, 
and  they  had  now  a  capital  of  about  £105,  and  some 
fifty  or  sixty  members.  Looking  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Rochdale  Co-operative  Stores,  and  comparing  it 
with  their  own,  he  (Mr.  Hepworth)  thought  they  in 
Coventry  need  not  be  discouraged.  Their  society  was 
originated  by  a  number  of  young  men  who  had  been 
in  the  habit  of  meeting  together  for  purposes  of  mutual 
improvement  and  recreation.  Several  of  these  were 
from   Yorkshire  ;     they   brought   their  principles   with 


I 


FIRST   PUBLIC    MEETING  67 

them,  and  resolved  that  what  had  been  done  in  the 
North  could  and  should  be  done  in  Coventry.  They 
did  not  mean  to  stop  where  they  were,  but  to  move 
on  from  the  A. B.C.  referred  to  by  their  chairman, 
and  they  hoped  to  have  in  due  time  a  manufacturing 
department.  Those  who  were  engaged  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  movement  had  confidence  one  in  another, 
and  by  pursuing  a  careful  course,  and  especially  by 
suppl}dng  good  and  cheap  articles,  and  not  giving  credit, 
they  believed  they  would  succeed. 

A  gentleman  described  as  "  Mr.  Lever,  from  Lan- 
cashire," afterwards  addressed  the  meeting,  and  gave 
some  interesting  facts  bearing  upon  the  progress  of 
Co-operation  in  Rochdale  and  other  places. 

It  is  stated  that  several  excellent  songs  were  sung 
during  the  evening,  but  the  Chairman,  obser\dng  that 
none  of  these  were  of  a  Co-operative  character,  recited 
the  following  Co-operative  song  : — 

The  Good  Time  Coming. 

The  good  time  has  come  at  last 

That  was  so  long  in  coming  ; 
Co-operation's  wide  awake, 
Protection  in  her  shoes  does  shake  ; 
So  join  our  stores  to  pennies  make, 

And  keep  the  kettle  humming. 
Every  day  our  goods  increase  ; 

Every  day  we're  stronger  ; 
Join  and  let  your  doubtings  cease, 

Don't  wait  any  longer. 

The  wealth  of  England  now  is  free, 

The  fact  defeats  the  fable. 
Co-operation's  proved  to  all 
That  countless  sums,  however  small, 
With  shares  that  never  rise  or  fall, 

Must  selfishness  disable. 


68  FIRST    PUBLIC    MEETING 

Riches  now  are  in  contempt  ; 

Begging  takes  to  giving  , 
Equity  holds  none  exempt. 

So  life  is  worth  the  living. 

The  poor  man  feels  his  spirits  rise, 

Who  formerly  existed, 
His  claims  to  share  the  goods  of  earth, 
To  have  reward  for  labour's  worth, 
Be  merry  in  his  children's  mirth. 

No  longer  are  resisted. 
In  blessings  thus  diffused  to  all. 

Proportioned  to  their  station. 
Both  high  and  low,  and  great  and  small, 

May  thank  Co-operation. 

"  It  would  fare  ill  with  Co-operation  if  judged  alone 
by  its  poetry,"  remarked  Mr.  Holyoake  on  one  occasion  ; 
but  the  sentiment  suited  the  times,  and  the  song  will 
compare  not  unfavourably  with  many  "  high-class  " 
effusions  of  the  present  day. 

What  appears  to  have  been  a  memorable  meeting 
concluded  with  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  chairman,  who, 
in  replying,  advised  the  members  not  to  look  too  much 
to  "  dividend  "  as  to  union,  and  expressed  a  hope  that 
the  ladies  would  take  the  question  of  Co-operation  to 
heart,  as  they  were  the  people  who  held  the  money. 

It  may  be  remarked  that  this  meeting  was  the  pre- 
cursor of  many  similar  gatherings  which  have  exercised 
an  educational  and  stimulating  influence. 


Chapter  XI. 


1868  TO  1870. 


1868. 


THE  pleasantries  of  Cook  Street  and  its  inhabitants 
ha\ing  never  been  appreciated  by  the  members, 
and  it  being  felt  desirable  for  commercial  reasons 
to  remove  to  more  commodious  quarters,  the  com- 
mittee explored  the  whole  city,  and  inspected  several 
"  eligible  "  and  ineligible  properties.  On  loth  March, 
1868,  their  choice  was  fixed  on  45,  Bishop  Street ; 
on  the  I2th  a  lease  was  authorised  to  be  signed,  and 
five  da3'5  later  a  members'  meeting  confinned  the 
committee's  proceedings.  The  annual  rent  was  £20, 
and  of  course  there  were  other  recurring  expenses  to 
be  faced,  in  addition  to  a  certain  amount  of  capital 
outlay.  The  new  home  was  an  old-fashioned  room\- 
house,  and  required  adapting  to  the  society's  purposes. 
But  the  committee  were  nothing  if  not  energetic.  On 
March  28th  they  used  the  place  for  a  regular  meeting, 
and  the  members,  who  were  accustomed  to  assemble 
monthly,  held  their  first  general  meeting  there  on 
April  2 1  St, 


70  i868 

Among  the  new  conveniences  for  trading  was  a 
bakehouse,  constructed  in  the  back  buildings  ;  and  a 
room  over  it  was  the  meeting-place. 

A  memorable  occasion  this  was  felt  to  be,  and  there- 
fore the  function  began  at  6  o'clock,  "  in  order  that  the 
members  might  partake  of  coffee  and  other  refreshments 
prior  to  entering  upon  business."  About  thirty  sat 
down  to  table. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  imagine — and  happily  some  can 
recollect — the  gratification  of  the  members  in  meeting 
for  a  social  evening  on  their  own  premises.  The  affair 
had  a  domestic  flavour,  and  it  was  becomingly  thrifty, 
for  with  the  view  of  saving  expense  the  promoters 
brought  the  crockery  ware  from  their  own  homes. 
Some  of  the  cups  and  saucers  have  been  preserved  to 
this  day.  How  the  circumstances  contrast  with  those 
of  later  years,  when  the  spacious  Com  Exchange  even 
could  not  contain  all  the  tea-partying  co-operators  at 
one  sitting  !  But  nevertheless  it  was  a  not  inauspicious 
beginning,  and  although  "  coffee  "  is  the  only  beverage 
mentioned,  there  is  credible  evidence  that  every  member 
present  was  filled  with  good  spirits  !  In  fact,  the 
refreshment  department  was  so  well  managed  that  the 
toast  of  "  The  Ladies  "  was — no,  not  drunk,  but  those 
who  had  performed  the  work  were  thanked  in  a  vote 
which  was  carried  with  acclamation. 

A  few  months  previously,  some  of  the  members  had 
feared  a  danger  in  the  society  being  overburdened  with 
capital.  So  far  from  these  forebodings  being  realised, 
however,  the  society  found  itself  temporarily  short  of 
funds.  The  structural  alterations  and  the  fitments  had 
proved     comparatively     costly  —  the     "bakery,"     for 


Cray's  Lane— Grocery  Dept. 

Kenilworth— Grocery  and  Drapery 
Depts. 


3    \\'alsgrave-on-So\ve — Grocery  Dept. 
4.  Bishop  Street — Grocery  Dept. 


1.  Springfield  Road — Grocery  Dept 

2.  Britannia  Street — Grocef.y  Dept 


3.  Earlsdon — Grocery  Deft. 

4.  Brook  Street— Grocery  Dm. 


I 868  73 

instance,  costing  upwards  of  £30 — and  it  was  necessary 
to  meet  the  expenses.  The  proposed  remedy  reminds 
one  of  the  lady  who,  when  a  bank  manager  called  to 
inform  her  she  had  overdra\\Ti  her  account,  replied 
that  she  could  easily  get  the  better  of  that  difficulty 
by  gi^'ing  him  a  cheque  for  the  amount  I  The  course 
recommended  was  a  similar  feat  of  finance,  that  has 
never  been  usual  to  co-operators  :  it  was.  Borrow  money 
to  pa}'  your  debts  ! 

The  sum  of  /15  in  additional  share  capital  was  offered 
by  two  members  if  the  society  generally  would  co- 
operate with  them  by  providing  the  remaining  £35. 
Unfortunately  the  combined  wealth  of  all  the  other 
members  at  this  time  was  not  equal  to  the  finding  of 
so  large  an  amount  of  money  even  to  lend  to  themselves, 
although  the  interest  on  share  capital  was  5  per  cent, 
per  annum. 

Therefore,  after  a  long  discussion  on  a  point  of  order, 
for  which  some  members  ever  were  sticklers,  as  well  as 
on  the  merits  of  the  question,  it  was  resolved  to 
authorise  the  committee  to  obtain  a  loan  of  £^0  for  six 
months,  with  power  of  renewal  if  necessary. 

Proceeding  on  sound  business  lines,  the  society 
decided  that,  as  the  premises  had  been  taken  on  a  lease 
for  three  years,  the  whole  of  the  capital  outlay  should 
be  written  off  during  that  period. 

Prospects  had  seemed  fair,  but  the  initial  difficulties 
of  the  committee  of  management  were  by  no  means 
ended.  One  was  to  find  a  man  sufficiently  versatile  to 
be  sole  storekeeper  of  a  small  but  varied  business — 
groceries,  provisions,  bread,  and  pork  butchering. 
True,  the  committee  were  responsible  for  the  buying-in 


74  ioo« 

and  other  work,  but  they  required  a  real  genius  of  a 
shopman.  The  storekeeper  engaged  was  a  man  in 
middle  life,  and  the  combined  duties  made  his  position 
anything  but  a  sinecure.  He  had  to  be  baker  as  well  as 
counterman,  and  he  was  also  required  to  deliver  bread 
in  all  parts  of  the  city.  He  probably  did  his  best  for 
a  time,  and  although  several  of  the  committee-men, 
the  president  included,  gave  voluntary  help  at  busy 
seasons,  the  results  were  not  invariably  exhilarating. 
Some  members  were  compassionate,  but  others  thought 
the  man  had  grown  careless,  and  was  not  superlatively 
industrious.  It  is  evident  he  was  decidedly  lax  in  regard 
to  customers'  payments,  for  the  committee  were  re- 
peatedly called  upon  to  enjoin  strict  compliance  with 
the  rule  of  "  no  credit."  Again,  one  member  was  honest 
enough  to  complain  of  the  "  long  pull  " — or  rather  of 
being  given  overweight  in  several  articles  !  From  a 
variety  of  causes  a  change  of  storekeeper  was  deemed 
necessary,  but  it  was  deferred  owing  to  the  m.an  being 
taken  ill. 

If,  however,  the  committee  felt  compelled  to  be 
strict  with  the  storekeeper,  they  were  no  less  severe 
with  themselves.  Money  matters  were  closely  watched. 
Note  was  taken  of  absences  or  unpunctuahties,  and 
defaulters  were  called  to  account.  This  notwithstanding 
meetings  were  held  weekly,  frequently  twice,  and 
occasionally  thrice  a  week,  beside  sub-committee  meet- 
ings, personal  responsibilities,  and  attendance  as  helpers 
at  the  counter,  together  with  monthly  general  meetings 
of  members.  Moreover  no  sub-committee  was  allowed 
to  give  orders  unless  all  the  members  thereof  were  present, 
or  the  absentees  had  expressed  their  views  in  writing. 


i869  75 

During  the  year  the  societ}^  joined  the  Co-operative 
Wholesale  Society ;  the  committee  co-operated  with 
neighbouring  societies  for  advantage  in  buying ;  a 
\\'ednesday  half-holiday  was  started,  and  the  metaUic 
check  system  introduced. 

Despite  all  trials  and  difficulties,  including  such 
matters  as  sugar  and  cheese,  which  were  almost  as 
troublesome  as  they  are  at  this  day,  the  sales  reached 
the  fairly  respectable  total  of  £1,505  95.  4d.  for  the 
year,  and  the  di\'idend  at  the  end  of  it  was  8d.  in  the 
pound  on  members'  purchases. 

The  committee  had  a  year  fuU  of  acti\ities  ;  but 
each  one  seems  to  have  laboured  as  if  the  issue  depended 
on  him  alone.  From  January-  to  December  there  were 
nearly  seventy  recorded  committee  meetings,  and  the 
amount  of  attention  voluntarily  given  to  business 
management  is  amazing.  How  reminiscential  of  the 
words  of  Xehemiah  respecting  Jerusalem  more  than 
twenty-three  hundred  years  ago  !  "So  we  built  the 
wall  ;    for  the  people  had  a  mind  to  work." 


Early  in  the  year  the  members  decided  that  the  time 
had  arrived  when  another  tea  and  public  meeting  would 
serve  a  useful  purpose.  This  was  held  on  February  8th, 
and  the  follo^^ing  account  of  it  appeared  m  a  local 
newspaper  : — 

"  The  annual  meeting  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance 
Co-operative  Society  was  held  at  St.  Mary's  Hal]  on 
Monday  last.  A  considerable  number  of  the  members 
and  friends  sat  dowTi  to  an  excellent  tea,  and  in  the 
evening   a   business   meeting   was   held,    when   on    the 


76  1869 

platfoim  were  several  of  the  old  advocates  of  Co-opera- 
tion. The  second  annual  report  showed  a  satisfactory 
progress  during  the  past  year.  Several  persons  addressed 
the  meeting  on  the  subject  of  Co-operation,  and  alto- 
gether the  proceedings  appeared  to  give  great  satisfac- 
tion." 

Laconic,  ver}^  and  sHghtly  disdainful  too  ;  but 
somewhat  amusing  reading  now  that  more  than  forty- 
seven  years  have  elapsed.  The  tea  was  "  excellent  " — 
that  was  praise  for  the  store  comestibles  and  the  catering 
abiUties  of  the  ladies.  But  the  writer  evidently  had  no 
admiration  for  the  "  old  advocates,"  and  apparently 
no  high  opinion  of  the  movement  either.  It  seemed 
worthy  of  remark,  too,  that  at  a  Co-operative  Society's 
meeting  several  "  persons  "  gave  addresses  on  Co- 
operation !  The  proceedings  "  appeared  "  to  give 
great  satisfaction,  however,  and  therefore  what  more 
was  there  to  be  said  ?  Pope  has  some  remarks  about 
"  damning  with  faint  praise."  This  praise  was  feeble 
enough,  but  the  society  was  not  thereby — doomed. 
It  hved  on,  and  only  the  supineness  of  the  members 
could  have  brought  about  its  condemnation. 

At  a  meeting  the  next  week  there  were  indications  of 
progress.  Several  new  members  were  admitted  ;  it  was 
decided  to  present  to  the  Free  Library  and  other  reading 
rooms  copies  of  Co-operative  newspapers,  and  a  desire 
was  expressed  to  enter  into  the  coal  trade. 

This  desire  materialised  at  the  March  meeting, 
when  arrangements  were  reported  and  approved  for 
doing  business  in  coal  through  estabhshed  merchants 
on  a  commission  basis.  Transactions  were  commenced 
shortly    afterwards,    and    appeared    to     give     general 


1869  77 

satisfaction.  Some  members  stated  that  the}-  had  been 
exceedingly  well  served  ;  but  now-a-days  it  seems 
rather  curious  that  in  December  there  should  have  been 
a  complaint  of  the  quahty  of  coal  supplied  at  8d.  per 
cwt. 

Meantime  a  new  storekeeper  was  appointed,  after 
much  consideration,  and  the  committee  doubtless 
thought  they  had  secured  a  perfect  genius,  but  ere  long 
there  was  reason  to  fear  that  he  had  exaggerated  his 
abilities  when  he  wanted  the  post. 

A  meeting  held  on  June  15th  was  not  without  some 
diversion.  One  member  seems  to  have  been  sUghtl}^ 
h\'percritical  concerning  the  quahty  of  certain  goods 
suppHed,  including  groceries.  Other  members  spoke 
to  the  contrar}-  effect.  The  complainer  was  silenced 
and  the  meeting  put  into  good  humour  by  Mr.  Caleb 
Wade,  who  stated  that  a  lady  friend  of  his  who  came 
from  Berkswell  to  purchase  tea,  said  that  if  the  store- 
keeper continued  to  supply  her  until  Christmas  with 
so  good  an  article  she  would  give  him  a  kiss  !  Whether 
the  conditions  were  fulfilled  and  the  gushing  female 
kept  her  promise,  there  is  no  e\idence  to  show.  Can 
any  veteran  give  information  ?  And  is  it  known  if 
such  embarrassing  bribery  is  attempted  now-a-days  ? 

It  is  a  mere  coincidence  that  the  next  question  was 
concerning  butter  !  It  appeared  there  was  a  difficulty 
in  obtaining  a  regular  supply  of  good  fresh  butter  in 
this  neighbourhood.  For  a  time  the  committee  had 
purchased  capital  fresh  butter  from  the  Highbridge 
Society,  but  heavy  cost  of  carriage  had  compelled  them 
to  discontinue  the  arrangement.  ^Ir.  R.  IlHngworth 
hoped  that  members  would  complain  strongly  at  the 


78  1870 

time  if  there  were  any  cause  of  dissatisfaction,  rather 
than  take  away  their  custom,  as  all  complaints  would 
receive  careful  attention,  and  thus  the  matter  would 
be  righted. 

In  the  autumn  a  series  of  entertainments  was  decided 
upon  to  raise  money  for  the  benefit  of  the  Educational 
Fund. 

The  committee  had  a  year  of  arduous  application  to 
the  business  of  the  society,  holding  nearly  sixty  recorded 
meetings,  which  were  largely  concerned  with  details, 
but  also  with  troubles  arising  from  the  way  in  which  the 
storekeeper  performed  his  duties,  and  with  the  manage- 
ment of  the  bread  department. 

This  year  the  turnover  amounted  to  £1,918  13s.  lod., 
but  the  profits  were  low,  as  also  was  the  dividend  ; 
but  the  president  plainly  intimated  that  with  more 
trade  by  the  members  a  dividend  of  is.  could  be  paid 
easily. 

1870. 

The  experiences  of  1869  were,  if  anything,  intensified 
throughout  the  following  year,  the  chain  of  circumstances 
demanding  strenuous  exertions  on  the  part  of  the  com- 
mittee, and  hope  seeming  ever  deferred.  The  committee 
might  make  mistakes,  but  unfaithful  to  the  cause,  or 
inactive  ?  Never  !  They  were  also  quite  frank  with  the 
members,  and  every  trying  situation  was  courageously 
faced.  This  practice  doubtless  had  a  reassuring  effect, 
as  there  was  a  gradual  accretion  to  the  membership. 
In  February  it  was  deemed  to  be  both  advisable  and 
reasonable  that  no  bonus  on  a  member's  purchases 
should  be  returned  in  cash  until  one  share  had  been 


1870  79 

paid  up,  but  that  any  amount  thus  due  should  be 
credited  to  his  capital  account. 

On  May  17th  Mr.  T.  G.  Read  again  encouraged  the 
fainthearted,  and  urged  the  members  not  to  be  afraid 
of  the  security  of  the  society  because  of  the  absence  of 
dividend.  He  had  ever}^  confidence  in  the  committee, 
and  the  figures  showed  the  society  to  be  perfectly  sound. 
At  the  same  meeting,  Mr.  Atkins  rated  some  of  the 
members,  who  went  about  grumbhng  instead  of  bringing 
their  complaints  to  the  meetings  and  receiving  explana- 
tions. 

At  the  end  of  the  second  quarter  a  deficit  was  reported. 
True,  the  amount  was  small,  \dz.,  £9  us.  6d.  Yet  the 
loss  was  a  fact,  although  it  was  stated  that  the  com- 
mittee had  been  quite  as  keen  in  bu\dng  and  as  careful 
in  management  as  heretofore.  On  being  interrogated 
the  committee  made  it  clear  they  were  not  satisfied  the 
loss  was  due  to  carelessness  alone  on  the  part  of  the 
storekeeper  ;  but  whatever  they  might  think,  they  had 
no  actual  proof  of  an\1:hing  worse.  Eventuallv  the 
storekeeper  was  dismissed,  but  the  committee  were 
ad\ased  that  in  the  circumstances  the  bond  he  had  given 
was  worthless.  A  temporary  storekeeper  was  found  in 
Mr.  Isaac  Hamson,  of  whose  honesty  and  interest  in 
the  society  there  was  no  possible  doubt. 

Wliat  unusual  people  these  co-operators  of  1870 
were  !  With  peripatetic  grumblers,  chronic  troubles 
concerning  storekeepers,  and  minus  di\idends,  they 
ought  to  have  been  extremely  downhearted.  On  the 
contrary,  they  twice  discussed  proposals  to  hold  a  picnic, 
and  at  the  general  meeting  on  August  i6th,  only  three 
attended    (Messrs.    Hepworth,    Adkins,    and   Andrews), 


8o  1870 

and  no  business  could  be  transacted"  owing  to  the 
annual  flower  show  at  Stoneleigh." 

At  a  general  meeting  on  September  20th  the  president 
interested  the  members  by  reading  the  preface  to  the 
Report  of  the  Co-operative  Congress  at  Manchester 
(see  Chapter  I  :    "  Need  of  Social  Reform  "). 

Mr.  John  Butcher,  a  well-known  and  influential 
co-operator  at  Banbury,  was  introduced  to  the  quarterly 
meeting  on  October  i8th,  and  deHvered  a  stirring  address. 
On  this  occasion  the  report  of  the  society's  trading  for 
the  September  quarter  was  received,  showing  a  further 
loss. 

In  December  the  secretary  (Mr.  A.  C.  Scrivener),  who 
had  been  \\'ith  the  society  since  its  inception,  gave 
notice  to  resign  his  office. 

It  may  appear  surprising  that  with  improved  sales, 
the  total  for  the  year  being  £2,198  17s.  5d.,  as  against 
;fi,9i8  13s.  lod.  in  the  previous  year — an  advance  of 
£280  3s.  7d. — the  results  should  have  been  unsatis- 
factory ;  but  special  difficulties  and  increased  expendi- 
ture turned  the  scale  against  the  society  for  three 
quarters.  At  the  end  of  the  fourth  quarter,  however, 
the  clouds  Hfted,  and  the  members  had  the  satisfaction 
of  learning  that  a  crisis  had  been  passed. 

The  committee's  report  was  somewhat  unique  : — 

"  We  have  pleasure  in  reporting  that  the  quarter 
ending  28th  December  last  reveals  to  us  a  series  of 
surprises.  In  the  first  place,  there  has  been  an  increase 
in  the  sales  over  the  previous  quarter  of  more  than  £100. 
Secondly,  there  has  been  an  increase  in  the  subscriptions 
over  the  previous  quarter,  and  instead  of  sustaining  a 
loss,   we   have   reahsed   a  fair  profit  on   the   quarter's 


1870  8i 

transactions,  which  very  nearly  makes  up  the  deficits 
of  June  and  September  quarters,  and  while  the  with- 
drawals have  been  somewhat  large,  it  is  surprising  that 
they  have  not  been  larger.  The  fact  is,  if  the  with- 
drawals were  dissected,  it  would  be  sho\Mi  that  very 
httle  capital  has  been  \vithdra\\Ti  in  consequence  of  our 
not  ha\ing  paid  a  di\idend  for  two  quarters,  there  having 
been  a  deficit  on  both  quarters.  Now,  however,  the 
state  of  things  is  reversed,  and  with  the  consent  of  the 
members  we  recommend  a  di\ddend  of  6d.  in  the  pound 
to  members  and  3d.  to  non-members,  to  be  paid  out  of 
last  quarter's  profits,  such  dividend  to  be  added  to  the 
share  capital  of  all  those  members  who  are  \\ining  thus 
to  appropriate  it. 

"  The  changes  recently  made,  it  is  hoped,  will  place 
us  in  a  still  more  hopeful  condition  at  the  end  of  the 
current  quarter. 

"  The  withdrawal  of  our  secretary,  Mr.  A.  C.  Scrivener, 
from  the  post  he  has  held  since  the  commencement  of 
the  society,  is  a  matter  of  regret  to  the  committee, 
which  regret  will,  in  all  probabihty,  be  shared  by  the 
society  at  large.  It  now  devolves  on  the  society  to 
elect  a  successor,  and  whoever  may  be  nominated,  the 
committee  hope  that  the  members  will  exercise  a  wise 
discretion  in  their  choice,  seeing  that  the  well-being  of 
the  society  largely  depends  upon  its  secretary." 

The  report,  with  balance  sheet,  was  presented  at  the 
next  quarterly  meeting  on  Jan.  17th,  1871,  and  after 
a  full  discussion,  "  adopted  in  its  entirety." 


Chapter  XII, 


The  First  Branch  Store. 

"  A  bold  peasantry,  their  country's  pride." 

— Goldsmith. 

ON  the  high  lands  about  seven  miles  from  Coventry 
— on  the  main  road  to  London — is  Dunsmore 
Heath,  which  is  famed  for  its  ancient  Dun  Cow, 
an  enoimous  and  ferocious  beast  with  a  vicious  taste 
for  toothsome  young  virgins,  that  was  slain  by  Guy. 
Mere  legend,  is  it  ?  Why,  did  not  Guy  receive  from 
kingly  hands  the  honour  of  knighthood  therefor  ?  Did 
not  he  become  Earl  of  Warwick,  and  has  not  one  of 
the  ribs  of  the  monstrous  animal  hung  for  time  out  of 
mind  in  Warwick  Castle  to  be  seen  of  visitors  ? 

Nearer  to  Coventry,  on  the  north  side  of  Knightlow 
Hill,  is  a  field  with  the  hollowed  remains  of  an  old  cross, 
where  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch  keeps  up  the  manorial 
custom  of  collecting  "  Wroth  Money  "  before  sunrise 
of  a  certain  day  in  November  of  every  year.  It  is  said 
the  agent  is  inexorable  in  his  demands.  Not  because 
the  Duke  really  needs  the  money  which  the  taxes 
produce.  O  no  !  for  is  he  not  one  of  the  wealthiest 
noblemen  in  the  kingdom  ?  Then  all  and  sundry  persons 
are  invited  to  take  breakfast  at  a  neighbouring  inn, 


Dean  Street — Grocery  Dept. 

NORTHFIELD    ROAD GROCERY    EepT. 


3.  FoLESHiLL  Road — Grocery  and 

Confectionery  Depts. 

4.  Bristol  Road — Grocery  Dept. 


1.  Earlsdon— Drapery  Dept. 

2.  Albany  Road— Grocery  Dept. 


3.  Victoria  Street— Drapery  and 

Outfitting  Depts. 

4.  BiNLEY — Grocery  Dept. 


FIRST    BRANCH    STORE  85 

when  the  ducal  health  is  pledged  not  in  cups  of  coffee, 
but  in  bumpers  of  hot  milk  and  rum  ! 

A  short  distance  to  the  south  of  Knightlow  Hill  is 
Stretton-on-Dunsmore,  a  not  inconsiderable  \illage, 
rather  remote  from  the  turmoil  of  modem  ci\dHsation, 
being  placidly  situated  amid  the  undulating  rural 
scener}'  of  the  heart  of  England.  At  this  rather  soporose 
village  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society, 
forty-seven  years  ago,  planted  its  first  branch  store, 
in  what  from  the  very  beginning  seemed  to  be  somewhat 
barren  soil. 

\Miy  was  it  started  ?  This  very  proper  question  was 
answered  at  the  general  monthly  meeting  of  members  on 
March  15th,  1870,  the  president  stating  that,  ha\ing 
several  members  at  Stretton,  the  conunittee  had  started 
the  branch  store  for  their  convenience.  It  was  on  a 
comparatively  small  scale,  the  only  expense  entailed, 
exclusive  of  fixed  stock,  being  a  commission  of  6d.  in 
the  pound  to  the  salesman,  and  6d.  per  cwt.  for  the 
carriage  of  goods. 

WTiat  appears  to  have  been  a  successful  meeting  at 
Stretton-on-Dunsmore  was  held  on  Monday,  December 
19th,  1870,  "  Mr.  Faulkner's  long  room  being  well 
filled  with  Stretton  friends." 

The  meeting  was  called  for  5  o'clock,  and  the  usual 
Co-operative  prehminary,  a  "  substantial  tea,"  was 
participated  in  by  those  locally  interested  ;  but  owing 
to  the  nearness  of  Christmas,  and  consequent  pressure 
of  business,  the  Coventry  members  were  unable  to  reach 
Stretton  until  8  p.m. 

Mr.  Hepworth,  president,  occupied  the  chair,  being 
supported  by  Messrs.  A.  C.  Scrivener  (secretary),  Edward 


86  FIRST    BRANCH    STORE 

King,  William  Jones,  Joseph  Hammond,  and  William 
Jarrams,  of  Coventry,  and  Mr.  John  Butcher,  secretary 
of  the  Banbury  Society. 

The  president  apologised  for  being  late,  and  explained 
that  the  party  started  from  Coventry  as  early  as  possible, 
but  owing  to  a  variety  of  difficulties  with  a  "  one-eyed  " 
vehicle  and  a  tired  horse,  the  only  wonder  was  they 
arrived  at  all.  He  confessed  his  disappointment  that 
Co-operation  had  not  made  good  progress  in  the  Midlands, 
but  offered  his  congratulations  to  the  Stretton  friends 
upon  the  results  they  had  already  attained. 

Mr.  John  Butcher  gave  an  inspiring  address,  mention- 
ing the  Banbury  Society  as  an  example  of  successful 
results  from  very  small  beginnings,  and  dealing  at  length 
with  the  subject  of  Co-operation  appKed  to  farming. 
He  urged  the  Stretton  members  to  be  united,  to  perse- 
vere, and  to  be  determined  to  make  their  store  a  success. 

Mr.  Edward  King  expressed  his  conviction  that 
Co-operation  was  the  only  means  to  better  the  condition 
of  the  working  classes. 

Mr.  Wilham  Jones  made  a  "  telHng  speech  that  was 
well  received,"  and  was  followed  by  Mr.  Scrivener. 

"  A  variety  of  votes  of  thanks  closed  the  meeting." 

What  further  adventures  befell  the  Coventry  members 
wdth  their  jaded  horse  and  "  one-eyed  "  chariot  are 
not  written  in  the  chronicles  of  the  society  ;  but  there 
exists  a  recollection  that  when  they  returned  some  of 
them  complained  of  being  footsore  ! 

Periodical  visits  were  paid  by  committee-men  and 
stock-takers  to  Stretton-on-Dunsmore,  and  the  branch 
was  maintained  for  many  years,  but  it  did  not  succumb 
through   excessive   vitality. 


Chaptek  XIII. 

1871  TO  1873. 


187I. 


ALL  readers  of  Dickens  are  familiar  with  the 
character  of  Mark  Tapley,  who  had  a  whimsical 
face  and  merry  blue  eyes,  and  was  constitution- 
ally "  jolly."  He  took  pride  in  being  "  jolly  "  under 
every  conceivable  circumstance.  Wlien  circumstances 
were  fortuitous  he  thought  there  was  no  merit  in  being 
"  jolly  " — of  course  one  could  not  help  being  "  johy  " 
in  prosperity.  It  was  in  bad  fortune,  for  example  in 
the  occupation  of  a  funeral  undertaker,  or  "  when  the 
children  had  the  measles  and  that,  and  was  very  frac- 
tious indeed,"  that  Mark's  pecuhar  \drtue  would  shine. 
Mark  Tapley  has  caused  many  a  reader  who  was  feeling 
wearied  and  dispirited  to  take  heart  again. 

Now  among  the  early  members  of  the  Coventry 
Perseverance  Co-operative  Society  there  was  a  greater 
than  Mark  Tapley.  This  was  Mr.  T.  G.  Read,  whose 
name  has  already  been  mentioned.  His  reasoned 
optimism  and  general  cheeriness  were  always  as  refresh- 
ing as  a  summer  breeze.  The}^  proved  of  great  value 
during  the  year  1871. 


I87I 


The  resignation  of  Mr.  Scrivener  taking  effect  in 
January,  the  first  important  business  at  the  meeting 
on  the  17th  of  that  month,  after  farewell  had  been  said 
to  the  previous  year,  was  the  appointment  of  a  secretary. 
Mr.  George  Jarrams,  warehouseman,  Railway  Cottages, 
was  proposed  by  Mr.  Amos  Cobb,  and  seconded  by 
Mr.  Edward  King.  Mr.  W.  H.  Ansell  moved,  and 
Mr.  Richard  Booth,  junior,  seconded,  the  appointment 
of  Mr.  Joseph  Hepworth.  That  gentleman,  however, 
declined  the  nomination.  He  stated  that  he  had  made 
up  his  mind  to  accept  no  remuneration  for  any  ser\dces 
he  might  render  to  the  society  ;  and  as  the  duties  of 
the  secretary  embraced  the  bulk  of  the  work,  he  thought 
the  office  should  be  well  paid.  The  members  generally 
agreeing  that  the  wiser  course  would  be  to  retain 
Mr.  Hepworth  in  the  position  of  president,  Mr.  Jarrams 
was  unanimously  appointed,  and  entered  on  his  duties 
forthwith. 

At  this  time  there  were  two  problems  still  before  the 
management.  They  were  :  How  to  influence  people 
to  become  co-operators ;  and  How  to  persuade 
"  co-operators  "  to  co-operate.  Both  principle  and 
practice  were  imperfectly  understood,  and  the  "  good 
time  coming  "  seemed  very  slow  in  arriving. 

The  quarterly  report  presented  at  the  general  meeting 
on  April  25th,  stated  that  there  was  a  decrease  in  the 
amount  of  business  done  ;  but  as  the  period  covered 
was  twelve  weeks  against  fourteen  in  the  last  "  quarter," 
the  decrease  was  not  so  great  as  to  occasion  alarm. 
The  remedy,  however,  was  in  the  members'  own  hands. 
In  this  connection  the  committee  gave  the  members 
some  candid  advice,  as  follows  : — "  The  best  efforts  of 


1871  Sg 

3-our  committee  to  promote  the  prosperity  of  the  society 
are  of  little  use  unless  they  are  supported  by  you.  Is 
it  that  you  have  forgotten  the  first  principles  of 
Co-operation  ?  We  have  now  been  organised  as  a 
society  four  years  and  only  maintained  our  position  as 
distributors,  whereas  if  all  our  members  had  been  true 
to  themselves  and  the  cause  that  is  their  o\\ti,  some- 
thing more  than  distribution  would  have  been  possible 
by  this  time.  Ha\ing  reduced  our  expenses,  the  profit 
reahsed  \\ill  afford  the  same  di\'idend  as  was  paid  last 
quarter.  If  you  would  like  a  larger  di\ddend,  make 
your  purchases  at  your  own  store,  and  then  you  will 
get  it.  At  the  Co-operative  Congress  held  in  Birmingham 
during  Easter  week  it  was  stated  again  and  again.,  by 
some  of  the  most  thoughtful  men  H\ing,  that  Co- 
operation is  the  only  thing  that  can  bring  Capital  and 
Labour  into  harmony  :  in  other  words,  that  Labour 
shaU  have  apportioned  to  it  its  fair  share  of  profit. 
Once  believe  this,  and  surely  there  is  reason  sufficient 
to  induce  all  workers  to  work  together  for  the  common 
good."  The  balance  sheet  showed  that  during  the 
last  quarter  there  had  been  reahsed  a  profit  of 
£14  4s.  iid. 

On  this  occasion  even  the  president  was  dowTihearted. 
He  expressed  his  disappointment  that  the  societ}'  had 
made  so  httle  progress.  After  being  estabhshed  four 
years  they  ought  to  be  in  a  better  position,  and  he 
confessed  that  could  he  have  foreseen  the  apathy  that 
still  existed,  he  would  have  been  loth  to  begin.  Re- 
\ie\\ing  the  success  of  Co-operation  in  other  parts  of 
England,  he  instanced  Banbury  Society,  which  was  of 
about  the  same  age  as  the  "  Perseverance."    At  Banbury 


(JO  1871 

they  were  doing  a  trade  of  £350  a  week,  whilst  in 
Coventry  they  would  be  satisfied  if  they  were  doing  the 
odd  £50  a  week  !  Still,  the  society  was  in  a  better 
position  than  it  had  been,  as  they  were  not  paying  a 
bonus  out  of  losses,  but  out  of  profits  actually  made. 
Then  up  rose  Mr.  T.  G.  Read,  who  said  he  did  not  share 
the  president's  despondency.  Pointing  to  the  fact 
that  the  society  had  already  existed  longer  than  any 
previous  society  in  Coventry,  he  contended  that  the 
principle  of  Co-operation  was  sound,  the  constitution 
of  the  Perseverance  Society  was  also  sound  ;  but  owing 
to  previous  societies  ha\qng  proved  unsatisfactory 
people  were  naturally  prejudiced.  When  it  was  seen 
that  the  society  was  continuing  to  pay  a  dividend, 
he  had  no  doubt  the  prejudice  would  die  away,  and  that 
there  would  be  an  increase  in  both  membership  and 
trade.  So  he  encouraged  the  meeting,  and  after  some 
questions  had  been  asked  and  answered,  the  report 
was  passed  unanimously. 

At  the  quarterly  meeting  in  July  the  audited  balance 
sheet  showed  a  deficit  of  £5  17s.  od.  The  president, 
however,  stated  that  the  committee  had  investigated 
the  matter,  and  were  satisfied  a  nett  profit  had  been 
made  of  at  least  £10  ;  but  the  auditors  adhered  to 
their  figures.  Mr.  T.  G.  Read  again  encouraged  the 
meeting,  expressing  his  complete  satisfaction  with  the 
committee,  pointing  out  that  they  well  knew  the  causes 
of  the  deficiency,  and  advising  the  members  to  still 
"  Persevere."  The  balance  sheet  was  finally  accepted 
and  passed. 

Changes  in  the  storekeeper  about  this  period  caused 
considerable  anxiety  and  also  disturbed  business. 


1872-3  91 

At  a  special  meeting  on  24th  August  a  balance  sheet 
made  up  to  the  7th  of  the  month  showed  a  deficit  of 
£1^,  and  considerable  discussion  took  place  on  methods 
of  stock-taking  and  of  checking  the  trade  done,  it  being 
suggested  that  the  quarter's  business  was  not  truly 
represented  by  a  deficit 

At  this  meeting  Mr.  J.  W.  Lewis  was  unanimously 
elected  secretary,  vice  ]\Ir.  Jarrams,  who  had  resigned 
in  the  preceding  month. 

By  November  matters  had  improved  somewhat. 
A  bonus  of  6d.  in  the  pound  on  members'  purchases 
was  paid,  and  the  president  called  attention  to  the  fact 
that  £S  8s.  lojd.  of  previous  bonuses  had  been  left 
in  the  society  by  members  entitled  to  them.  He 
trusted  the  example  would  be  followed  on  the  present 
occasion,  as  it  both  increased  the  working  capital  and 
expressed  the  confidence  of  the  members. 

Mr.  T.  G.  Read  again  urged  the  members  to  "  per- 
severe," contending  that  difficulties  were  a  valuable 
part  of  men's  experiences.  The  principles  of  the  society 
being  right,  and  the  committee  having  met  all  difficulties 
in  a  brave  spirit,  gave  them  good  hopes  for  the  future. 

During  the  discussion  the  President  mentioned  a  case 
in  which  a  member  had  only  paid  into  the  society  the  sum 
of  4s.  gd.,  but  on  leaving  had  actually  drawTi  out  20s.  iid. 

The  business  done  in  the  remaining  quarter  of  the 
year  enabled  the  committee  to  pay  a  dividend  of  8d. 
in  the  pound  on  members'  purchases. 

1872-3. 

The  year  1872  started  with  a  membership  of  116. 
At  a  social  meeting    in    the    large    room    behind  the 


92  1872-3 

store,  on  February  27th,  about  eighty  showed  they 
were  true  "  co-operators  "  in  one  sense,  by  doing 
"  ample  justice  to  an  excellent  tea."  Afterwards  there 
were  speeches,  songs,  and  music.  Among  those  who 
spoke  were  the  President,  Messrs.  W.  Jones,  F.  Bamett, 
C.  Wade,  J,  W.  Lewis,  and  I.  Dadley.  Mr.  Jones 
pointed  out  the  many  ways  in  which  Co-operation 
might  be  successfully  appHed  in  production  and  dis- 
tribution ;  Mr.  Wade  urged  upon  the  members  the  duty 
of  making  the  whole  of  their  purchases  at  their  own 
shop — the  store  ;  while  Mr.  Dadley  enforced  the 
importance  of  members  supporting  the  Co-operative 
News. 

At  the  end  of  March  the  members  still  numbered  116, 
and  the  dividend  paid  was  is.  6d.  in  the  pound  on  their 
purchases.  The  sales  during  the  year  amounted  to 
over  £2,456,  or  an  average  of  upwards  of  £47  a  week, 
and  bonuses  were  paid  of  is.  and  is.  2d.  in  the  pound. 

In  April  the  secretary  (Mr.  Lewis)  having  resigned, 
he  was  accorded  a  vote  of  thanks  for  his  services,  and 
in  his  stead  j\Ir.  George  Thorpe  was  appointed. 

The  annual  meeting,  held  on  December  9th,  was  thus 
described  in  the  Co-operative  News  by  Mr.  WilUam 
Bunton,  of  Banbury,  who  may  still  be  remembered 
for  his  good  work  in  connection  with  the  "  Banbury 
Tracts  "   and  other  Co-operative  pubHcations  : — 

"  One  of  the  best  meetings  that  ever  took  place  in 
the  grand  old  city  of  Coventry  was  held  last  Monday 
evening  in  the  grand  old  pile  of  buildings  known  as 
St.  Mary's  Hall.  About  130  persons  sat  down  to  tea, 
and  enjoyed  themselves  heartily.  After  tea  the  hall 
became  well  filled  with   a  most  respectable  audience, 


i872'3  93 

many  of  whom  came  from  a  distance.  The  Hon.  and 
Rev.  J.  W.  Leigh  took  the  chair,  and  made  a  first-rate 
Co-operative  speech.  The  cause  of  Co-operation  has 
progressed  very  slowly  in  Coventry.  Nowhere  in 
England  is  it  more  needed,  but  the  repeated  failures 
of  bygone  years  have  made  the  people  exceedingly 
wary  of  how  they  connect  themselves  \\dth  it,  so  that 
the  Perseverance  Society,  although  it  has  been  in  exist- 
ence for  five  years,  can  boast  of  no  more  than  about 
130  members,  \\ith  about  £450  capital,  and  a  turnover 
of  about  £^0  weekly.  Having  received  an  invitation 
to  be  present,  and  having  a  good  opportunity,  we  used 
all  our  powers  to  lift  the  movement  out  of  the  rut  it 
seems  to  have  got  into  here,  and  never  did  effort  seem 
more  likely  to  meet  with  success.  The  audience  listened 
to  the  several  speakers  ^^^th  the  greatest  attention, 
and  the  old  hall  rang  again  and  again  with  the  cheers 
of  the  meeting.  Mr.  Hepworth,  who  they  say  is  the 
Father  of  the  Coventry  Society,  and  the  committee 
had  pro\aded  some  first-class  music  and  singing  ;  and 
if  such  a  meeting  does  not  in  a  very  short  time  double 
the  number  of  members  and  receipts,  the  people  of 
Coventry    will    never     be     understood     by     William 

BUNTON." 

At  the  end  of  the  year,  however,  certain  disquieting 
matters  came  to  the  knowledge  of  the  committee. 
In  January,  1873,  the  secretary  resigned.  In  February, 
1873,  Mr.  A.  C.  Scrivener  was  empowered  to  make  an 
investigation  ;  Mr.  Geo.  Jarrams  was  recalled  to  the 
secretaryship  ;  and  a  further  change  in  storekeeper 
took  place.  The  report  of  the  investigation  showed 
that  at  the  end  of  the  pre\ious  year    instead  of  there 


94  1872-3 

being  a  surplus  the  society  had  suffered  a  loss  of  nearly 
£50.  The  consequences  were  serious.  There  was  a 
run  on  the  capital,  and  the  committee,  through  no 
fault  of  their  own,  found  themselves  in  an  unpleasant 
position. 

An  incident  occurred,  however,  which  is  worthy  of 
being  placed  on  permanent  record.  The  society  was 
probably  saved  by  a  woman  member  who  had  given 
notice  to  withdraw  her  capital  amounting  to  £40. 
Had  that  sum  been  taken  out,  the  society  would  have 
been  in  straits.  The  committee  put  a  good  face  on, 
however,  and  boldly  provided  the  money,  though  with 
difficulty.  When  the  member  saw  the  cash  in  readiness, 
her  confidence  returned  ;  she  decided  to  leave  her 
investment  untouched,  and  \\ithdrew  the  withdrawal 
notice.  The  committee  were  greatly  reheved,  as  for 
the  time  the  situation  was  saved.  The  incident  was 
gracefully  referred  to  by  Mrs.  Shufflebotham  on  31st 
December,  1886  (see  chapter  XLIIL,  "  Woman's 
Work  "),  and  was  also  mentioned  at  one  of  the 
reminiscential  meetings  (Chapter  XLVIT,  Part  li. 

At  the  spring  meeting,  the  members  received  the 
following  report  :— 

"  In  laying  before  you  the  report  and  balance  sheet 
for  the  last  quarter,  your  committee  are  grateful  for  the 
forbearance  manifested  to  them  under  circumstances  of 
great  anxiety.  We  hope  the  cause  for  anxiet}  has  now 
been  removed,  and  that  the  recent  changes  in  the  working 
and  official  staff  of  the  society  will  be  of  a  more  enduring 
character  than  some  of  the  preceding  ones  ;  but  whether 
this  be  so  or  not,  changes,  when  they  become  a  necessity, 
must  be  fearlessly  made. 


1872-3  95 

"  Another  change  is  still  needed  on  the  part  of  our 
members  :  if  you  \\ish  to  see  the  society  in  a  more 
prosperous  state,  why  not  support  your  own  shop  to 
the  full  extent  of  j^our  purchasing  power  ?  It  is  not 
a  '  money  power  '  that  is  most  needed.  Capital  we  have 
plenty  of  for  our  present  necessities.  But  we  want  a 
'  basket  power  '  that  shall  increase  our  weekly  business. 
In  this  way  only  can  prosperity  be  secured,  progress 
maintained,  and  dividends  swell  your  share  capital  to 
enable  us  to  enter  on  other  branches  of  business. 

"  The  indifference  of  many  of  our  members  to  Co- 
operative knowledge  is  a  matter  of  deep  concern  to 
those  who  are  thoroughly  imbued  with  Co-operative 
principles,  and  we  would  urge  you  again  to  support 
the  chief  organ  of  the  movement,  the  Co-operative 
News. 

"  The  profits  realised  have  made  up  for  the  pre\ious 
losses,  and  there  is  a  balance  profit  of  £17  os.  3fd., 
and  by  a  resolution  of  a  general  meeting  convened  by 
circular  and  held  on  Tuesday,  the  22nd  April,  at  the 
Stores,  it  was  resolved  to  appropriate  the  usual  5  per 
cent,  per  annum  to  capital,  at  the  rate  of  10  per  cent, 
per  annum  to  reduction  of  fixed  stock,  2^  per  cent, 
to  the  Educational  Fund,  and  the  remainder  to  be 
appropriated  at  the  end  of  the  current  quarter." 

The  report  was  adopted.  The  "  changes  "  referred 
to  in  the  report  included  the  appointment  as  storekeeper 
of  Mr.  Wm.  Carpenter,  who  had  rendered  good  ser\ice 
on  the  committee  ;  and  subsequent  history  may  be 
anticipated  by  the  statement  that  the  appointment 
proved  satisfactory,  Mr.  Carpenter  remaining  in  the 
service  of  the  society  for  a  number  of  years. 


96  1872-3 

At  the  summer  meeting  a  balance  profit  of  £16  2s. 
6fd.  was  reported,  and  a  dividend  of  4d.  in  the  pound 
on  members'  checks  brought  in  was  paid  for  the  first 
half  of  the  year. 

At  the  autumn  meeting  it  was  reported  that  the 
profits  amounted  to  £20  19s.  4jd.,  and  a  dividend  of 
lod.  in  the  pound  was  paid. 

For  the  fourth  quarter  of  the  year  the  profits  amounted 
to  £33  15s.  Sjd.,  and  a  bonus  of  5  per  cent,  on  the 
members'  purchases  was  paid,  besides  making  the  usual 
allocations  for  interest  on  capital  and  reduction  of  fixed 
stock,  and  devoting  2J  per  cent,  to  the  Educational 
Fund. 

Not  only  was  the  propriety  of  opening  a  branch  store 
discussed  during  the  year,  but  there  was  also  mooted 
the  question  of  making  one  share  per  member  transfer- 
able instead  of  all  shares  being  withdrawable,  to  add  to 
the  society's  stability. 

In  the  Co-operative  News  of  8th  November,  1873, 
appeared  the  following  editorial  note,  which  fairly 
described  the  situation  at  that  time  : — 

"  Coventry.— This  town  has  been  very  unfortunate 
in  matters  of  Co-operation,  but  we  think  we  may  now 
say  of  it,  in  the  words  of  a  Lancashire  song  at  the  time 
of  the  Cotton  Famine,  '  Better  times  are  coming,'  for 
although  the  dividend  of  the  existing  society  is  not 
one-half  per  £1  that  of  most  of  the  existing  Lancashire 
societies,  still  from  the  jubihant  way  in  which  the 
committee  write  in  their  report  we  imagine  it  is  much 
better  than  anything  hitherto  done.  The  trade  of  the 
town  during  the  last  thirteen  years  has  been  of  a  most 
uncertain  and  unprofitable  character,  mainly  owing  to 


1S72-3  97 

a  change  of  fashion,  foreign  competition,  and  clearness 
of  silk,  in  working  up  which  a  majorit\'  of  the  inhabitants 
are  employed.  The  next  trade  of  importance  in  the 
town  is  watchmaking,  and  a  fierce  competition  with 
America  has  been  carried  on  during  the  years  we  have 
named.  The  capital  is  £475,  the  annual  business  £2,820, 
and  the  profit  about  £2  per  week — not  much  to  speak 
of  in  the  year's  work,  but  it  has  had  to  be  done  under 
difficulties  of  no  ordinary  character." 


Chapter  XI\' 
1874-5- 


"  'Tis  not  in  mortals  to  command  success, 
But  we'll  do  more,  Sempronius — we'll  deserve  it." 

— ^Addison. 

1874. 

THE  pioneers  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance 
Co-operative  Society  certainly  had  not  been 
able  to  command  success,  but  that  the}^  had 
deserved  it,  who  shall  doubt  ?  They  had  served  a  long 
apprenticeship  to  "  one  and  the  same  trade  in  the  city 
of  Coventry,"  that  of  establishing  the  society,  over- 
coming difficulties  that  cumulatively  were  stupendous. 
These  early  experiences  wall  be  found  commented  on 
in  later  chapters. 

In  1874,  however,  the  managers  and  other  leaders 
began  to  feel  they  had  gained  their  "  freedom  "  from 
some  of  their  early  cares  and  anxieties,  and  to  see  that 
recognition  was  about  to  crown  their  earnest,  pains- 
taking, and  self-sacrificmg  labours 

There  was  distinct  encouragement  in  the  enrolment 
of  fifty-one  new  members  during  the  year. 


1.  Britannia  Buildings,  West  Orchard. 

2.  SroN  Street — Grocery  Dept. 


3.  Gosford  Street — Grocery,  Drapery, 

AND  Boot  Depts. 

4.  \'ictoria  Street — Grociry  Dept. 


1.  London  Road — Grocery  Dept. 

2.  Stoke — Grocery  Dept. 


3.  Alderman's  Green— Grocery  Dept. 

4.  Somerset  Road— Grocery  Dept.  and  Houses. 


1874  ioi 

This  meant,  of  course,  increased  working  capital  in 
the  first  place,  and  potentially  more  business  over  ttie 
counters,  as  well  as  useful  development.  As  a  fact,  the 
sales  for  the  year  rose  to  £3,630  17s.  id.,  being  £511 
7s.  3d.  more  than  in  the  preceding  year,  and  showing 
a  general  average  of  over  £69  a  week. 

The  available  profits  allowed  of  a  bonus  of  5  per  cent, 
on  members'  purchases  during  the  first  three  quarters, 
and  of  IS.  2d.  in  the  pound  in  the  fourth  quarter,  the 
usual  allocations  being  made  to  interest,  depreciation, 
and  educational  purposes. 

At  the  April  meeting  it  was  decided  to  open  a  Penny 
Bank,  and  in  July  the  comimittee  were  able  to  announce 
that  the  bank  had  been  organised  with  every  prospect 
of  success. 

Drapery  and  boot  and  shoe  departments  were  started 
in  a  room  over  the  grocery  store  at  Bishop  Street. 

It  was  decided  that  the  allocation  to  the  Educational 
Fund  should  be  a  fixed  one  of  2}  per  cent,  of  the 
net  profits,  and  the  first  Educational  Committee  was 
appointed,  consisting  of  the  President,  Messrs.  Read, 
Harris,  W.  Jones,  T.  H.  Adams.  W.  Jarrams,  and  Cleaver. 

A  reserve  fund,  which  it  may  be  remarked  now 
exceeds  £20,000,  with  special  reserves  amounting  to 
upwards  of  £2,200  in  addition,  was  started  with  two 
sums  making  together  £13  is.  yd.,  and  a  smaU  invest- 
ment was  made  in  the  Co-operative  Newspaper  Society. 

In  addition  to  these  numeri:)us  activities,  the  Societ\^ 
turned  its  attention  to  the  pleasure  of  charitableness, 
an  appeal  being  received  from  the  Wolverhampton 
Co-operative  Locksmiths'  Society  for  sympathy  and  help 
in  their  loss  of  about  £200  through  a  fire.     The  president 


1:02  1874 

explained  the  difficulty  experienced  by  the  Locksmiths' 
Society  in  keeping  in  existence  at  all  o\\ing  to  the  deter- 
mined opposition  shown  by  large  manufacturers  of  the 
town,  and  said  he  thought  the  case  was  worthy  of  support. 
On  the  proposition  of  Mr.  W.  Jones,  seconded  by  Mr. 
C.  Cookson,  it  was  resolved  to  open  a  subscription 
with  the  object  of  helping  the  Co-operative  Lock- 
smiths ;  but  unfortunately  the  fund  closed  before  the 
money  could  be  handed  over,  and  it  was  therefore 
given  to  the  Agricultural  Labourers'  Strike  Fund. 

The  annual  meeting  on  Tuesday,  November  3rd, 
in  St.  Mary's  Hall,  partook  somewhat  of  the  nature 
of  a  domestic  gathering.  It  was  essentially  practical. 
About  150  made  themselves  cheerful  at  the  tea  table, 
prior  to  a  meeting  the  programme  of  which  consisted 
of  music  tempered  with  oratory,  the  oratory  being 
leavened  with  a  few  statistics,  plus  a  httle  advice. 
Mr.  Hepworth  (president)  filled  the  chair,  being  accom- 
panied by  several  active  co-operators,  each  of  whom 
was  at  that  time  prominent  in  the  movement.  The 
attendance  is  said  to  have  been  "  good,"  and  without 
doubt  the  quality  was  satisfactory,  but  as  to  the  quantity 
there  is  less  certainty. 

The  customary  report,  presented  by  the  treasurer 
(Mr.  A.  Harris)  stated  that  business  was  being  done  in 
groceries,  provisions,  baking,  drapery,  boots  and  shoes — 
and  it  might  have  been  added  coal-deahng — to  the  extent 
of  about  £3,500  per  annum,  with  a  capital  of  about 
£550,  which  w^as  being  turned  over  nearly  six  and  a  half 
times  within  the  year.  Of  course,  a  much  larger  business 
might  be  done  with  even  smaller  capital  ;  but  an 
increase  of  means  w^as  not  needed  so  much  as  an  accession 


i874  103 

of  members,  whose  present  number  (660)  was  considered 
small  for  a  to\\Ti  of  40,000  inhabitants.  "  Some  of  our 
citizens,"  the  report  continued,  "  have  held  aloof  from 
us  by  reason  of  former  failures,  but  surely  no  man's 
heart  need  fail  him  now  through  fear,  when  we  can 
show  an  existence  of  7J  years  without  any  serious 
disaster.  We  have  had  difficulties  to  contend  with, 
certainly.  But  who  is  there  that  embarks  in  business 
can  proclaim  himself  free  from  them  ?  "  No  one  ven- 
tured then,  or  afterwards,  to  answer  the  question. 
The  report  further  stated  that  the  committee  were  of 
opinion  that  the  small  membership  was  due  to  the 
principles  and  advantages  of  Co-operation  not  being 
so  well  understood  as  they  should  be.  The  report 
concluded  \\dth  an  invitation  to  those  present  to  enrol 
themselv^es  as  members. 

The  chairman  afterwards  said  the  term  "  Co-operation  " 
had  been  defined  as  "  working  together,"  and  so  it  was  ; 
but  that  did  not  fully  express  the  co-operators'  idea. 
What  they  meant  by  Co-operation  was  something  far 
greater  than  any  dictionary  definition.  He  could  best 
explain  his  meaning  by  an  illustration.  During  the 
past  year  or  two  the  coal  owners  had  been  gi\ing  the 
colhers  an  increase  of  id.  per  ton  for  getting  the  coal, 
while  they  had  been  charging  the  consumers  a  shiUing 
per  ton  extra  and  putting  that  into  their  own  pockets. 
But  co-operators  thought  that  coUiers  who  got  the  coal 
should  have  received  a  fair  share  of  the  extra  profits. 
(Hear,  hear.)  The  ci\aUsed  world  had  for  the  most 
part  given  itself  up  to  bu\ing  and  selHng  and  the  getting 
of  gain.  Hitherto  the  buying,  seUing,  and  getting  of 
gain  thereby  had  been  chiefiy  confined  to  a  particuJar 


104  1^74 

class,  until  the  Pioneers  of  Rochdale  were  compelled 
by  the  very  force  of  circumstances  to  look  out  for  some 
way  in  which  they  could  do  for  themselves  that  which 
they  had  been  in  the  habit  of  asking  other  people  to 
do  for  them.  That  was  what  Co-operation  had  been 
doing  ever  since.  Co-operation  was  not  to  be  confined 
to  distribution — not  to  mere  selling  of  groceries  and 
provisions,  or  the  necessaries  of  life.  The  Co-operative 
idea  meant  going  on  to  the  manufacturing  for  themselves 
of  what  they  wanted  to  eat.  to  drink,  and  to  wear. 
Until  that  was  an  accomplished  fact,  co-operators 
would  never  rest  ;  still  they  must  be  mo\'ing,  and  they 
would  be  moving,  on  in  spite  of  all  adverse  circum- 
stances.     (Applause.) 

Mr.  John  Butcher,  secretary  of  the  Midland  Section 
of  the  Co-operative  Congress  Board,  described  Co- 
operation as  a  means  by  which  working  men  could 
raise  themselves  :  it  enabled  them  to  spend  their  money 
to  the  best  advantage.  (Hear,  hear.)  In  the  course 
of  an  interesting  address  he  said  that  Co-operation  was 
not  pecuhar  to  any  particular  district  ;  he  had  heard 
there  was  a  society  at  Sheerness  which  was  established 
before  Rochdale  took  up  the  cause  ;  but  in  the  North 
the  movement  had  been  more  vigorous  than  in  the  South. 

Mr.  Robert  Allen,  of  Oldham,  member  of  the  Central 
Co-operative  Board,  enlivened  the  meeting  with  a 
humorous  speech  on  various  phases  of  the  Co-operative 
movement. 

Other  addresses  were  delivered,  and  songs  were  given  by 
Mr.  W.  H.  Ward,  Mr.  F.  W.  Humberstone,  and  Mr. 
J.  W.  Hepworth ;  Mr.  J.  S  Steane  presided  at  the 
pianoforte. 


I 


iS75 


105 


The  meeting  served  a  very  practical  purpose,  as  in 
December  the  society  admitted  nineteen  new  members, 
several  of  whom  became  active  co  operators,  including 
Mr.   J.   H.   Wilhams,   a  future  president. 

1S75. 

The  measure  of  success  which  in  1874  had  begun  to 
justify  the  faith  of  co-operators  in  their  principles  and 
policy  was  increased  in  1875. 

There  were  two  prominent  facts  for  their  reward, 
and  for  their  encouragement  to  still  persevere. 

The  first  was  that  172  new  members  were  admitted, 
76  being  at  the  November  meeting  alone.  Then  the 
sales  were  upwards  of  £2,000  more  than  in  the  preceding 
year,  the  average  weekly  amount  received  being  over 
/108. 

The  results  mav  be  tabulated  as  follows  : — 


Quarter. 

1st  . 

2nd  . 

3rd  . 

4th  . 


Total 


Bonus 

to 

To  Reserve 

Surplus. 

Members 

per/ 

Fund. 

i    s.    d. 

i    s.    d. 

81     6     \\ 

1    4 

23     8     1\ 

86     4     4 

1/6 

11    19     9 

126   11     2.^ 

1  /6 

31    11     81 

171     2     6 

1/6 

51    19     3' 

/465     4 


If        Average  1 /5^     ;^T18   19     3| 

Thus  were  co-operators  benefited  and  the  society 
strengthened. 

Owing  to  the  accommodation  at  the  society's  store 
being  insufficient,  the  general  meetings  of  members  were 
held  at  the  Pro\ddent  Dispensary  Buildings. 

A  resolution  was  passed  in  favour  of  making  one  share 
per  member  transferable,  and  a  special  committee  was 
appointed  to  revise  the  society's  rules. 


io6  1875 

A  movement  spontaneously  emanating  from  the  mem- 
bers resulted  in  a  decision  to  make  a  nominal  payment 
to  the  members  of  the  committee. 

On  the  committee's  recommendation  at  the  December 
meeting,  the  society  became  investors  in  the  Co-operative 
Insurance  Society. 

Outside  the  trading  transactions  the  most  interesting 
business  of  the  year  was  due  to  the  initiation  of  Mr. 
W.  Jones,  who  at  the  quarterly  meeting  on  July  20th 
said  he  thought  the  time  had  come  when  some  acknow- 
ledgment should  be  made  to  the  president  for  his 
valuable  seri-ices  to  the  cause  of  Co-operation  in 
Coventry,  and  moved  the  following  resolution  :  — 

"  That  a  public  meeting  be  held  at  some  date  to  be 
hereafter  tixed,  at  which  a  presentation  shall  be  made 
to  Mr.  Hepworth." 

This  was  seconded  by  Mr.  T  Kirby,  and  carried 
unanimously. 

The  following  were  chosen  as  a  committee  to  carry 
out  the  object  : — Messrs.  C.  Kirby,  T.  Kirb}*,  W.  Jones, 
W.  Jarrams,  and  A.  L.  Xewbold  ;  these  to  have  power 
to  add  to  their  number. 

With  what  goodwill  and  success  the  committee  and 
others  co-operated  in  this  undertaking  will  be  under- 
stood from  the  next  chapter. 


i 


Chapter  XV 


Eighth  Annual  Public  Meeting. 

Progress — Increased  Benetits — -Merit  acknowledged 
— ^Social  Enjoyment. 

THE  Society's  eighth  annual  public  meeting 
proved  distinctly  encouraging.  The  committee 
were  able  to  report  further  progress  ;  members 
had  increased  in  number  and  reaped  proportionate 
benefits  ;  pro\ision  had  been  made  for  social  enjoy- 
ment ;  and  meritorious  labours  were  to  be  recognised. 
The  meeting  might  have  been  termed  a  festival. 

The  scene  was  again  St.  Mary's  Hall,  and  the  date 
November  22nd,  1875. 

Upwards  of  hve  hundred  persons  successfully  co- 
operated in  a  tea,  and  afterwards,  we  are  told,  "  the  hall 
was  crowded  to  an  uncomfortable  degree."  But  any 
discomfort  was  cheerfully  endured — it  was  all  for  the 
good  of  the  cause  ! 

The  chairman  was  Alderman  Soden,  an  ex-^layor  and 
a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  he  was  supported  by  another 
ex-Mayor — Alderman  W.  H.  Hill,  also  a  J. P. 

Alderman  Soden,  who  was  known  as  a  man  of  clear 
views  and  plain  speech,  who  had  in  other  spheres  given 


IC8  EIGHTH    ANNUAL   PUBLIC   MEETING 

proof  of  his  appreciation  of  self-help  and  good  citizen- 
ship, evidently  found  the  position  congenial.  He 
expressed  his  opinion  that  the  occasion  was  so  important 
they  ought  to  have  asked  the  Mayor  to  preside,  but  of 
course  when  they  were  making  the  arrangements  in 
October  they  did  not  know  who  the  Mayor  was  going  to 
be,  and  he  (Alderman  Soden)  accepted  the  invitation 
as  a  great  honour.  The  principles  of  Co-operation  were 
most  laudable,  and  notwithstanding  much  hostile 
criticism,  the  movement  had  made  rapid  strides.  In 
his  opinion  the  artisans  and  working  classes  of  this 
country  were  impro\dng  themselves  by  these  means 
and  raising  themselves  in  the  social  scale.  The  facts 
entitled  them  to  every  comm.endation. 

The  secretary  (^Ir.  G.  Jarrams)  read  a  statement 
showing  the  number  of  members  to  be  313,  with  an 
average  share  capital  of  about  ^^3  per  member.  The 
sales  had  increased  during  the  year  by  upwards  of  £1,240, 
and  the  net  surplus,  after  pacing  certain  fixed  charges, 
including  £8  i6s.  Qd.  devoted  to  the  Educational  Fund, 
allowed  of  /231  12s.  lod.  being  returned  to  members 
in  proportion  to  their  purchases.  The  reserve  fund  was 
increased  by  £yg  14s.  5M. 

The  meeting  assumed  a  special  character,  owing  to 
a  presentation  to  the  President  of  the  society. 

The  chairman  had  already  made  some  fehcitous 
references  to  Mr.  Hepworth,  and  the  work  of  the 
Testimonial  Committee  was  e\idenced  by  an  illuminated 
address  and  clock. 

?>Ir.  A.  L.  Xewbold,  hon.  sec.  to  the  Testimonial 
Committee,  read  the  Address,  which  was  as  follows  :  — 


EIGHTH   ANNUAL   PUBLIC   MEETING  lOQ 

"To  Mr.   Joseph  Hepworth, 
"  First  President  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance 

Co-operative  Society. 
"  Dear  Sir, 

"  We  the  members  of  the  above  society,  are 
desirous  of  gi^^ng  you  some  mark  of  our  high 
esteem  and  appreciation  of  the  great  efforts  you 
have  made  in  the  cause  of  Co-operation  in  general, 
and  particularly  in  the  interests  of  your  own  society. 
"  As  our  president  for  upwards  of  seven  years, 
we  know  that  your  labours  for  the  welfare  of  the 
society  have  been  indefatigable.  We  beheve  that 
the  present  flourishing  state  of  the  society  is  in 
a  great  measure  the  result  of  them,  and  we  feel 
that  such  disinterested  hard  work  should  meet  with 
some  recognition. 

"We   therefore  ask  you  to    accept  the    accom- 
panying timepiece  as  a  small  token  of  our  regard, 
and  with  it  our  best  wishes  that  \'ou  may  long  b'' 
spared    to    help    the    society   with    your   fostering 
hand,  and  assist  it  in  attaining  still  greater  success. 
"  Signed  on  behalf  of  the  members  of  the  Coventry 
Perseverance   Co-operative    Society  by   the   Testi- 
monial Committee,  November  22nd,  1875. 
W.  Jones,  Chairman. 
W.  Jarrams,  Treasurer. 
A.  L.  Xewbold,  Secretary. 
J.  P.  Austin.  J.  T.  Lower. 

M.  Dodwell.  W.  Naylor. 

T.  KiRBY.  W.  Perkins. 

C.  KiRBY.  H.  Penn. 

J.  King.  D.  Yardley." 


no  EIGHTH   ANNUAL    PUBLIC    MEETING 

The  address  had  been  illuminated  by  a  well-known 
artist,  Mr.  J.  S.  Green.  In  a  semi-circle  at  the  top  were 
two  figures  with  hands  clasped  across  a  globe,  one  re- 
presenting capital,  with  factory,  ship,  etc.  On  the 
side,  filling  up  the  intervening  space,  were  the  two 
figures  of  Peace  and  Plenty,  symbolising  the  results  of 
Co-operation.  The  address  was  supported  by  columns 
in  which  w^ere  represented  figures  of  children  engaged 
in  different  trades  and  agricultural  pursuits.  The  whole 
was  surrounded  with  a  border  of  fourteenth  century 
work.     The  frame  included  the  City  Arms. 

The  timepiece  was  of  black  marble,  and  bore  the 
following  inscription  : — 

"  Presented  to  Mr.  Joseph  Hepworth  by  the 
Members  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance 
Co-operative  Society  as  a  mark  of  esteem 
for  his  self-denying  labours  in  the  cause  of 
Co-operation  as  their  President. 

"Coventry,  22nd  Nov.,   1875." 

Mr.  Hepworth,  on  rising  to  acknowledge  the  testi- 
monial, received  an  ovation.  He  expressed  his  thanks 
and  also  his  opinion  that  the  efforts  of  others  were 
equal  to  his  own,  and  that  without  them  no  success 
could  have  been  attained.     He  then  said  : — 

"  With  regard  to  our  Co-operative  movement,  I  am 
afraid  that  in  very  many  quarters  it  is  Uttle  understood, 
or  if  understood  at  all,  it  is  but  imperfectly  so,  for  if  I  get 
into  conversation  with  clergymen  or  tradesmen,  I  find 
that  their  ideas  with  regard  to  Co-operation  are  not  at 
all  in  accordance  with  fact.  It  has  oftentimes  been  said 
that  what  a  man  has  done,  men  may  do  ;  and,  coming 
from  the  North  of  England  myself — for  it  w^as  there 


I 


EIGHTH   ANNUAL    PUBLIC   MEETING  III 

I  was  bom  and  reared — I  know  something  of  what 
Co-operation  was  doing  there  long  before  we  started 
this  society  in  Coventry.  It  will  be  in  the  recollection 
of  many  in  this  meeting  that  a  so-called  '  Co-operative 
Society  '  had  been  in  existence  in  this  city  long  before 
I  settled  here  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago. 
That  society  came  to  grief,  as  I  am  told,  entirely  through 
mismanagement,  though  at  that  time  there  were  a 
thousand  members,  many  of  whom  sustained  serious 
losses  thereby.  So  that  when  we  met  and  started  our 
society  we  had  very  great  difficulty  indeed  in  inducing 
any  of  the  members  of  the  old  society  to  join  our  ranks. 
We  had  therefore  to  bide  our  time  until  it  was  seen 
what  Co-operation  really  was,  for  I  have  always  denied 
that  the  old  society  was  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  term 
a  Co-operative  Society  at  all.  We  began  on  the  same 
basis  as  the  Rochdale  flannel  weavers  began  some 
thirty  years  ago,  and  for  the  most  part  we  adopted 
their  rules.  We  have  carried  on  with  those  rules  from 
that  time  to  the  present,  but  we  never  made  what  we 
considered  to  be  adequate  progress  until  the  last  twelve 
months,  and  it  has  been  cheering  to  my  heart  to  feel 
that  during  the  last  twelve  months  we  have  been  enabled 
to  make  such  progress  as  we  have  done.  (Applause.) 
But  I  can  see  no  reason  why  we  should  not  have  a 
thousand  members.  I  do  not  expect  that  we  shall 
increase  to  a  thousand  members  during  the  next  tw-elve 
months,  but  I  think  we  ought  to  do  so  in  two  or  three 
years'  time." 

Mr.  Hepworth  than  forcibly  argued  in  favour  of  the 
Co-operative  movement,  and  spoke  of  its  beneficial 
results  on  working  men,  who  by  it  had  raised  themselves 


112  EIGHTH    ANNUAL    PUBLIC   MEETING 

in  the  social  scale,  and  said  he  thought  sometimes  that 
it  had  excelled  the  tem.perance  organisations  in  reducing 
drunkenness. 

Mr.  W.  Jones  delivered  an  earnest  address,  and 
Alderman  Hill  also  spoke. 

There  was,  in  addition,  an  enjoyable  concert  by 
members  of  a  glee  party  and  others. 


Chapter  XVI. 


1876   AND    1S77. 


1876. 


THE  year  was  full  of  interest  and  incident.  To 
adopt  a  familiar  figure,  the  cords  were 
lengthened  and  the  stakes  strengthened. 
On  January  25th,  Mr.  Geo.  Jarrams  ha\'ing  resigned, 
Mr.  Arthur  Lamb  Newbold,  gas  rent  collector,  was 
elected  secretary.  Young,  energetic,  of  good  business 
abilities,  and  with  opportunities  in  his  daily  avocation, 
the  new  secretar}'  set  himself  the  task  of  lengthening 
the  membership  roll  ;  and  in  great  part  owing  to  his 
activities  211  new  members  were  admitted  during  the 
year. 

An  important  matter,  dealt  with  at  several  meetings, 
was  that  of  new  rules.  These  being  found  necessary, 
a  code  was  prepared,  adopted  on  Ma\^  i6th,  confirmed 
a  week  later,  certain  special  rules  added  on  June  27th, 
and,  with  the  ad\ice  of  Mr,  E.  V.  Xeale,  of  Manchester, 
secretary  of  the  Central  Co-operative  Board,  the  whole 
were  formally  drafted,  and  submitted  for  legal  registra- 
tion.    Meanwhile  the  existing  rules  had  been  resc'nded. 


114  1876 

Continually  increasing  trade  over  the  counter  making 
further  accommodation  imperative,  the  committee,  in 
touch  with  the  members  throughout,  bought  the  pre- 
mises, 45,  Bishop  Street,  for  the  sum  of  £500.  For  a 
like  amount,  and  also  with  the  members'  authority, 
they  bought  a  site  in  West  Orchard,  and  ordered  the 
preparation  of  plans  for  a  new  building. 

The  society's  affairs  showed  a  decidedly  upward 
trend,  which  went  far  to  justify  these  proceedings. 
In  ]\Iarch  there  were  397  members,  with  £945  share 
capital  ;  in  May  472  members,  with  £1,337  share 
capital  ;  and  in  July  492  members,  with  a  share  capital 
of  £1,547.  The  trade  account  showed  that  in  the 
second  quarter  of  the  year  the  sales  had  reached  £2,568 
i8s.  9d. 

Therefore  the  money  necessary  for  the  purchase  of 
properties  it  was  resolved  at  a  general  meeting  to  ask 
members  generally  to  provide. 

In  December  the  number  of  members  was  583,  while 
the  sales  during  the  year  were  nearly  double  those  of 
1875,  having  risen  from  £5,639  2s.  8d.  to  £10,107 
9s.   id. 

Commenting  on  the  committee's  report  for  the 
39th  quarter  ending  December  20th,  the  Co-operative 
News  said  : — 

"  New  members  admitted,  77  ;  withdrawn  and 
forfeited,  8  ;  present  total,  583,  whose  purchases  in 
grocery,  drapery,  and  boots  are  less  than  8s.  per  week  ; 
and  share  capital  averages  £3  lis.  od.  per  member. 
Reserve  fund  receives  this  quarter  £60,  and  now  amounts 
to  the  respectable  proportion  of  3s.  for  every  £1  of 
share  capital.     The  Educational  Fund  receives  2J  per 


1876  115 

cent,  of  net  profits,  and  now  amounts  to  over  £40,  but 
there  does  not  appear  to  be  any  educational  work 
going  on.     There  is  a  small  savings  bank. 

"  Fixed  stock  account  appears  to  be  depreciated  at 
the  rate  of  10  per  cent,  per  annum  on  the  original 
cost  ;  and  entrance  fees,  fines,  and  nomination  fees  are 
devoted  to  the  same  purpose,  amounting  for  the  present 
quarter  to  an  additional  depreciation  of  6 J  per  cent., 
making  a  total  depreciation  allowed  on  fixed  stock 
to  be  at  the  rate  of  16}  per  cent,  per  annum  on  the 
original  cost. 

"  The  rent  received  from  property,  which  is  freehold, 
is  devoted  to  the  depreciation  of  the  property  account, 
and  the  account  receives  in  addition  the  percentage 
usually  allowed  by  other  societies. 

"  All  these  figures  show  that  the  society  is  making 
ample  provision  for  its  own  permanence  and  stabihty. 
We  do  not  know  another  society  which  makes  such  a 
liberal  allowance  for  the  depreciation  of  its  buildings 
and  fixtures,  and  possessing  at  the  same  time  a  reserve 
fund  equal  to  nearly  15  per  cent,  of  its  share  capital. 

"  The  distributive  expenses  are  is.  2d.  per  £1  of 
sales. 

"  Members'  di\ddend  is  is.  8d.  and  non-members,  lod. 

"  All  the  society's  investments  are  Co-operative  in 
character. 

"  There  is  a  central  place  of  business  and  one  branch." 

The  remarks  as  to  the  financial  basis  of  the  society 
were  certainly  not  unwelcome. 

It  was  on  Tuesday,  October  31st,  1876,  that  the 
annual  tea,  with  pubhc  meeting  afterw^ards,  was  held, 
and  it  was  again  in  St.  Mary's  Hall.     Of  the  tea,  nearly 


ii6  1876 

five  hundred  persons  partook,  while  at  the  pubUc 
meeting  afterwards  the  hall  was  crowded.  The  president 
(Mr.  J.  Hepworth)  occupied  the  chair,  and  the  principal 
speaker  was  Mr.  J.  C.  Fam,  of  Manchester,  one  of  the 
three  early  local  advocates  of  whom  biographical 
sketches  are  given  in  Chapter  VI.  Among  those  present 
were  Messrs.  J.  H.  WilHams,  \V.  Jones,  G.  Yardley, 
\\'.  Jarrams,  J.  Squiers,  many  other  well-known  local 
co-operators,  and  representatives  of  societies  at  Bed- 
worth,  Foleshill,  Wj'ken,  Stretton,  and  other  places. 
After  the  chairman  had  addressed  the  meeting, 
Mr.  R.  Ilhngworth  read  the  report,  which  stated  that 
the  society  had  been  in  existence  nine  and  a  half  3^ears, 
and  the  advance  made  by  it  during  this  year  had  been 
greater  in  many  respects  than  that  made  in  all  the 
pre\dous  eight  and  a  half  years.  The  number  of  members 
was  over  514,  against  278  on  September  22nd,  1875. 
The  sales  had  even  been  more  satisfactory,  as  they 
showed  a  larger  average  of  purchases  per  member  than 
in  the  previous  year.  The  difference  in  the  totals  was 
also  stupendous,  the  sales  for  the  present  year  being 
£9,091  13s.  3d.,  against  £4,683  17s.  4d.  last  jTar. 
showing  an  increase  of  £4,407  15s.  iid.,  the  increase 
itself  being  nearl\-  as  large  as  the  whole  of  last  year's 
sales.  The  capital  of  the  society  had  more  than  doubled, 
the  figures  being  £1,776,  against  £841  4s.  lod.,  or  an 
increase  of  £944  5s.  2d.  The  profit  made  during  the 
year,  in  addition  to  5  per  cent,  per  annum  interest  on 
capital,  amounted  to  £763  i8s.  iifd.  xA-bout  £4  15s. 
out  of  every  £7  profit,  or  £517  5s.  od.  in  all,  had  been 
divided  amongst  the  members  in  the  shape  of  di\idend 
on  their  purchases,  and  it  was  especially  gratifpng  that 


i877  117 

out  of  this  sum  of  £517  5s.  od.  no  less  than  £328  los. 
4jd.  had  been  added  to  the  members'  share  capital 
instead  of  being  drawn  out.  The  sum  of  £24.  2s.  8d. 
had  been  divided  amongst  the  non-members  who  had 
dealt  with  the  society,  £14^  13s.  5jd.  had  been  added 
to  the  reserve  fund,  ^29  17s.  iifd.  had  been  written 
off  fixed  stock,  and  £19  is.  iid.  had  been  carried  to 
the  educational  fund — a  fund  which  up  to  the  present 
time  had  been  almost  idle,  but  which  it  was  to  be  hoped 
would  be  better  emploj^ed  shortly.  The  report  con- 
cluded with  the  expression  of  an  earnest  hope  that 
the  prosperity  of  the  society  would  long  continue. 

Addresses  were  afterwards  dehvered  bv  'My.  Fam 
and  others,  and  during  the  evening  there  was  some 
agreeable  music. 

1877. 

The  membership  continued  to  increase  month  by 
month,  in  1877  no  less  than  307  new  members  being 
admitted,  and  the  number  at  the  end  of  the  year  being 
834,  while  the  sales  expanded  to  £12,247  4^-  '^^■'  ^^ 
£2,139  14s.  iid.  more  than  in  the  year  preceding. 

During  the  first  part  of  the  year  the  general  meetings 
continued  to  be  held  at  St.  Mary's  Hall  ;  but  later  the 
members  had  the  satisfaction  of  meeting  on  their  own 
premises. 

It  was  a  3'ear  of  great  activities.  Business  had  to  be 
maintained  uninterruptedly,  of  course  ;  but  there  were 
three  matters  of  supreme  interest. 

First,  there  was  the  pro\ision  of  a  building  fund  ; 
second,  effecting  a  great  public  improvement  in  one  of 
the  city's  slums  ;  and,  third,  the  pubhc  opening  of  the 
new  stores. 


ii8  1877 

To  carry  the  society's  scheme  to  success,  a  sum  of 
several  thousand  pounds  would  be  required.  Whert^ 
was  the  money  to  come  from  ?  There  was  the  rub  ! 
The  more  enterprising  were  for  thro\\dng  the  whole 
responsibihty  on  the  general  body  of  members.  But 
would  they  be  equal  to  the  capitalising  of  so  serious  an 
undertaking  ?  The  less  sanguine  entertained  honest 
doubts.  The  committee  hoped  they  might  be,  but  took 
into  consideration  an  alternative  scheme  should  one 
prove  necessary. 

There  was  every  disposition  to  rely  on  self-help,  and 
after  a  considerable  amount  of  preliminary  discussion, 
a  special  general  meeting  was  held  at  St.  Mary's  Hall 
on  Thursday,  February  8th,  "  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
sidering ways  and  means  of  erecting  the  proposed 
buildings  in  West  Orchard,  plans  of  which  may  be 
seen  any  day  prior  to  the  meeting  (Sunday  excepted) 
in  the  Secretary's  Office,  Bishop  Street  Store."  In  the 
circular  convening  the  meeting,  which  was  dated  31st 
January,  and  signed  by  the  president,  the  scheme  was 
outhned  as  follows  : — 

Some  £2,000  \\dll  be  wanted  for  carrymg  out  the 
plans  of  erections  proposed,  which  embrace  three  front 
shops,  store  rooms  behind,  a  large  room  to  seat  three 
hundred  people,  committee  room,  secretary's  office, 
and  a  variety  of  other  rooms,  all  of  which  can  be  easily 
appropriated.  Provision  is  made  in  the  enclosed  yard 
for  a  three-stall  stable,  slaughterhouse,  etc.  ;  these, 
together  wdth  the  bakery  that  has  been  some  months  in 
active  operation,  wH  form,  when  completed,  most 
excellent  and  compact  business  premises,  well  calculated 
for  doing  a  large  trade." 


1877  119 

A-Pparentlv  the  committee  preferred  not  to  give  a 
lead — at  any  rate  the}'  presented  no  recommendation 
bej'ond  setting  forth  their  \iews  in  the  following  terms  : 

"  The  opinion  of  the  committee  is  that  these  proposed 
erections  have  become  a  necessity  to  us  ;  they  therefore 
ask  this  meeting  to  confirm  the  same." 

Mr.  J.  H.  Wilhams  proposed,  and  Mr.  Jarrams 
seconded,  a  confirmatory  resolution,  which  was  carried 
unanimously. 

Open  discussion  being  in\ited  as  to  how  the  money 
was  to  be  found,  various  opinions  were  expressed. 
For  a  time  there  seemed  to  be  a  doubt  as  to  whether 
more  than  £t,ooo  could  be  expected  from  members, 
and  a  building  society  mortgage  for  the  balance  was 
mooted.  Then,  suddenly,  a  resolution  was  moved 
"  That  the  members  be  in\dted  to  subscribe  the  whole 
of  the  money  required,  and  to  intimate  to  the  secretary 
before  the  next  quarterly  meeting  [which  was  due  on 
April  17th]  the  number  of  additional  shares  they  will 
sign  for." 

This  was  a  bold  stroke.  It  had  a  dramatic  effect. 
The  meeting  became  energised  with  a  new  enthusiasm, 
and  after  being  seconded  the  resolution  was  carried 
with  the  utmost  unanimitv. 


Chapter  XVII. 


A  Public  Improvement. 

IT  can  scarcely  be  denied  that  the  whole  city  was 
indebted  to  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-opera- 
tive society  for  an  enterprise  which  culminated  in 
the  autumn  of  1877. 

The  site  of  the  proposed  new  stores  was  occupied 
by  tenements  which  few  would  claim  as  an  example  of 
the  survival  of  the  httest.  It  was  on  the  south  side  of 
West  Orchard,  by  the  River  Sherboume,  a  name  that 
is  said  to  signify  "  Beautiful  Stream."  Now  everybody 
knows  how  much  of  a  stream  there  is  since  it  has  been 
improved  ;  and  as  to  its  beauty — well,  it  would  certainly 
outrival  Eau  de  Cologne,  and  it  was  said  to  be  suitable 
for  gro\\dng  watercress  ! 

In  place  of  these  antique  residences  the  society  erected 
a  block  of  buildings  that  constituted  a  public  improve- 
ment and  a  lasting  monument  to  self-help. 

The  architects  w^ere  the  well  known  firm  of  G.  and  I. 
Steane  ;  and  the  builder,  Mr.  James  Marriott  ;  works 
foreman,  Mr.  Geo.  Burton,  a  member  of  the  society's 
committee. 

The  frontage  to  West  Orchard  is  about  70  feet,  and, 
in  addition,  there  is  a  frontage  to  the  river,  which  bounds 


1.  563-5,  Stoxey  Stanton  Road — Grocery 

2.  297-9,  Stoney  Stanton  Road — Grocery 

3.  West  Orchard — Furnishing  Dept. 

4.  King  I^dwarp   Road — Grocery  Pept. 


«-d  Pr apery  Depts. 
:d  Drapery  Dfpts. 


THE    OFFICES,    WEST    ORCHARD. 


A    PUBLIC    IMPROVEMENT — 1877  I23 

the  site  on  the  western  side,  of  about  go  feet.  The  only 
portion  of  the  old  premises  retained  was  adapted  to  a 
bakery. 

The  follo^^ing  further  particulars  are  applicable  to  the 
building  when  new — thirty-nine  years  ago  : — 

On  the  ground  floor  there  are  three  shops  facing 
towards  West  Orchard,  viz.,  butchers',  drapers',  and 
grocery  or  pro\ision  shops,  the  two  latter  of  which 
have  store  rooms  in  the  rear.  The  secretary's  room 
is  arranged  centrally  in  connection  with  these  rooms, 
and  also  in  a  position  to  command  the  yard,  round 
which  are  placed  the  bakery,  slaughterhouse,  stabling, 
van  shed,  etc.  There  is  a  cart  entrance  from  the  street 
to  the  vard,  which  will  allow  heav}-  goods  to  be  delivered 
at  the  doors  of  the  grocery  and  drapery  stores,  the 
bakery  and  flour  stores,  to  large  cellars  in  the  basement, 
and  also  to  the  crane  enclosure  for  removal  to  the 
upper  store  rooms. 

On  the  first  floor  is  an  assembly  room,  capable  of 
accommodating  between  three  hundred  and  four 
hundred  persons  seated,  the  principal  approach  to  which 
is  from  West  Orchard  by  means  of  a  wide  hall  and 
staircase.  There  are  two  other  approaches — one  from 
the  eastern  and  the  other  from  the  western  end  of  the 
room,  independent  of  the  principal  approach,  altogether 
affording  ample  ingress  and  egress.  The  room  is  a 
very  easy  one  to  speak  in  ;  it  has  a  partially  open- 
timbered  roof,  the  principals  being  wrought  and  stained. 
The  ceiling  and  one  end  are  polygonal  in  shape.  It  is 
well  Ht,  principeilly  from  the  north  side  ;  is  20  feet 
6  inches  high  in  the  centre,  and  15  feet  next  the  walls. 
There  are  special  arrangements  for  ventilation,  and  the 


124  '"^    PUBLIC    IMPROVEMENT — 1877 

heating  is  accomplished  by  means  of  hot  water  pipes. 
As  it  is  expected  that  concerts,  lectures,  and  other  enter- 
tainments will  be  held  herein,  two  retiring  rooms  have 
been  provided  at  the  platform  end  of  the  room,  as  also 
an  ante-room  which  leads  direct  to  the  platform.  One 
of  the  retiring  rooms  is  ordinarily  used  as  the  committee 
room  of  the  society.  There  is  a  ladies'  cloak  room  at 
the  opposite  end  of  the  room,  also  a  kitchen  and  scullery, 
with  all  the  necessary  arrangements  for  effectively 
supplying  tea  meetings,  etc.  Over  the  kitchen,  etc., 
are  the  baker's  sleeping  apartments  ;  and  over  the 
retiring  rooms  there  is  a  large  store  room. 

The  new  premises  have  a  handsome  and  substantial 
appearance,  are  soundly  built,  and  are  a  distinct 
improvement  to  a  not  very  aristocratic  neighbourhood. 

First  Meeting  in  the  New  Stores. 

The  members  of  the  society  held  their  42nd  quarterly 
meeting  in  the  Assembly  Room  of  the  new  stores  on 
Tuesday  evening,  October  i6th,  1877. 

The  president  (Mr.  J.  Hepworth)  occupied  the  chair, 
and  the  attendance  numbered  upwards  of  300. 

The  report,  which  was  read  by  the  secretary  (Mr.  A.  L. 
Xewbold),  stated  that  a  business  of  £3,500  had  been 
transacted  during  the  quarter,  and  that  the  number 
of  members,  which  was  increasing  week  by  week,  was 

734- 

It  was  stated  that  all  the  money  which  was  required 
for  the  building  had  been  advanced  by  the  members. 

A  special  vote  of  thanks  was  given  to  the  committee 
for  the  energy  and  attention  which  they  had  devoted 
"  to  putting  up  such  a  beautiful  building  for  us." 


A    PUBLIC    IMPROVEMENT — 1 877 


125 


The   Officers   and   Committee   at   this   time   were   as 


follows  : — 

President  : 
Treasurer  : 
Secretary  : 
Coimnittee 


A  uditors 


Mr.  Joseph  Hepworth. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Williams. 

Mr.  Arthur  L.  Newbold. 

Messrs.  John     P.     Austin,     Richard 

Booth,  jun.,  George  Burton,  D.  Cooke, 

William  Jones,  Thomas  Kirb\^  J.  T. 

Lower,   and  Henry  Penn. 

Messrs.    W.    H.    Ansell    and    George 

Tarrams. 


Chapter  XVIII. 


Opening  the  New  Stores. 

Notable  Progress — 1,200  at  Tea — ■Encouraging  Public  Meeting. 

THE  annual  meeting  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance 
Co-operative  Society  in  1877  ^^^^^  exceptionally 
interesting.  It  was  in  fact  a  festival. 
First,  the  Mayor  of  the  ancient  citv  took  part  in  the 
proceedings  ;  second,  the  committee  reported  sub- 
stantial progress  generally  ;  third,  the  newly-built 
stores  were  formally  opened  ;  and  finally,  there  was  a 
successful  tea  and  public  meeting,  with  important 
speeches. 

The  memorable  day  was  Wednesday,  14th  November. 

Opening  Ceremony. 

In  the  afternoon,  at  a  meeting  in  the  new  Assembly 
Room,  about  four  hundred  persons  were  present. 

The  president  of  the  society  (Mr.  Joseph  Hepworth), 
in  opening  the  proceedings,  offered  his  congratulations 
to  the  members  on  the  satisfactory  progress  of  the  society, 
and  moved  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  architects  (Messrs. 
G.  and  I.  Steane)  for  the  excellent  plans  they  had  pro- 
duced for  the  new  building,  and  for  the  assiduous 
manner  in  which  thev  had  seen  the  work  carried  out. 


OPENING    OF    NEW    STORES — 1877  ^^1 

Mr.  J.  H.  Williams  seconded  the  motion,  which  was 
carried. 

Then  Mr.  F.  Caldicott  proposed  a  similar  acknowledg- 
ment to  the  contractor,  Alderman  Marriott,  observing 
that  this  building  added  another  to  the  man\^  ornaments 
to  the  city  that  Mr.  Marriott  had  erected. 

Mr.  \Vm.  Jones  seconded  the  resolution,  which  was 
likewise  carried. 

]\Ir.  Jones,  in  that  spirit  of  equity  which  distinguishes 
true  co-operators,  remarked  that  if  they  did  not  pass  a 
further  resolution  the  contractor  would  get  all  the  credit 
due  to  himself  and  his  workmen.  (Hear,  hear.)  He 
therefore  proposed  that  an  expression  of  thanks  be 
also  given  to  the  workpeople  for  the  way  in  which  they 
had  performed  their  part  of  the  undertaking.  (Hear,  hear.) 

This  proposition  was  seconded  from  the  body  of  the 
meeting  and  carried  unanimoush'. 

President's  Address. 

The  President  then  delivered  an  address,  from  which 
the  following  are  extracts  : — 

Three  years  ago,  if  any  persons  had  told  us  we  should 
be  dedicating  this  block  of  buildings  to  the  business 
purposes  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative 
Societ}^  we  should  have  thought  them  to  be  proper 
subjects  for  the  Hatton  Lunatic  Asylum.     (Laughter.) 

But  we  do  not  despise  the  day  of  small  things.     (Hear, 

hear.)     For  the  first  few  years  our  society  made 

very  slow  progress  ;  prejudice  in  some  minds,  with 
misgiving  in  the  minds  of  others,  was  against  us,  on 
account  of  former  failures.  Co-operation  had  yet  to 
win  its  way  in  this  city.      Many  said  "  Let  it  alone  ; 


128  OPENING    OF    NEW    STORES— 1877 

like  other  efforts  of  a  similar  kind  it  will  die  a  natural 
death,"  but  our  outlook  now  is  full  of  encouragement. 
(Hear,  hear.) 

When  the  erection  of  new  stores  was  deemed  a  neces- 
sity your  committee  called  you  together  in  St.  Mary's 
Hall,  and  asked  for  the  necessary  capital.  You  said 
in  effect  that  you  would  find  it  yourselves,  and  here  we 
are  to-day,  having  paid  all  demands  made  upon  us  on 
behalf  of  the  building  contract,  and  your  investments 
here  are  of  such  a  nature  that  they  cannot  take  to  them- 
selves wings  and  fly  away.  Let  the  profits  on  your 
purchases  accumulate  for  the  next  three  years,  and  we 
will  pay  you  every  penny  of  share  capital  you  have 
subscribed,  if  you  are  not  satisfied  with  the  5  per  cent, 
interest  you  get.      (Hear,  hear.) 

Having  referred  to  the  effect  of  Co-operation  in  putting 
down  adulteration,  the  "  frightful  extent  "  of  which 
was  proved  by  its  being  found  necessary  to  pass  an 
Act  of  Parliament  for  dealing  with  it,  the  president 
referred  to  the  establishment  of  the  Co-operative  Whole- 
sale Society  in  Manchester,  and  continued  : — 

The  common  opinion  appears  to  be  that  Co-operation 
is  simply  a  scheme  for  superseding  the  ordinary  sale 
shops  by  stores.  But  Co-operation,  as  understood  by 
the  leaders  of  this  movement,  comprehends  much  more 
than  is  expressed  by  an  opinion.  Its  ultimate  aim  is 
to  make  all  men  their  own  storekeepers,  and  all  men 
who  need  to  work,  their  own  employers.     (Hear,  hear.) 

Dr.  John  Watts,  a  native  of  this  ancient  city,  thus 
writes  : — 

"  The  economy  of  retail  stores  is  practically  settled, 
for  hundreds  of  them  now  exist,  and  compete  with  the 


OPENING    OF    NEW    STORES — 1877  I29 

ordinary  sale  shops,  and,  after  papng  5  per  cent,  interest 
on  capital,  return  to  their  members  more  than  y^  per 
cent,  on  the  average  of  their  purchases.  A  further 
economy  is  also  secured  by  remo\ing  all  interest  in 
adulteration  ;  whilst  the  managers  of  the  stores  have 
nothing  to  gain  by  ser\'ing  short  weight  or  short  measure, 
or  by  misrepresentations  of  quality. 

"  Assuming  the  system  of  stores  to  become  universal, 
let  us  look  to  the  Hberation  of  the  capital  now  employed 
by  shopkeepers  and  see  what  would  be  the  result  ? 

"  The  wages  of  the  working  classes  of  the  United 
Kingdom  are  estimated  at  350  inilhons  sterling  per 
annum  at  the  very  least,  and  nearh'  the  whole  of  this 
enormous  sum  passes  directly  or  indirectl}'  through  the 
hands  of  shopkeepers.  Assuming  that  y^  per  cent, 
could  be  saved  by  substituting  stores  for  retail  shops, 
the  economy  thus  secured  would  be  26|  milhons  sterhng 
per  annum,  or  enough  to  put  into  permanent  productive 
emplo\TQent  262,500  men  at  a  capital  of  £100  per  man, 
which  is  about  the  amount  emplo}'ed  in  the  coal  and 
iron  trades.  Such  a  sa\ing,  continued  for  15  years, 
and  invested  each  year  at  5  per  cent.,  would  at  the  end 
of  that  term  be  sufficient  to  permanently  employ  all 
the  working  men  in  the  nation,  whilst  if  the  savings 
were  invested  productively  each  year  as  gained,  the 
result  would  be  arrived  at  much  earlier." 

Thousands  of  people  who  belong  to  the  great  body 
of  co-operators  in  different  parts  of  the  Kingdom  would 
never  have  saved  a  penny  in  the  whole  course  of 
their  lives  but  for  the  gentle  compulsion  which 
withholds  the  di\idend  on  purchases  to  the  end  of  the 
quarter. 


130  OPENING    OF    NEW    STORES — 1877 

I  think  it  must  be  owned  that,  without  looking  any 
further,  a  great  and  good  work  is  in  progress,  and  that 
Co-operation  will  prove  to  be  a  great  and  abiding 
advantage  to  the  EngHsh  people,  inasmuch  as  it  will, 
in  addition  to  what  I  have  enumerated,  give  a  material 
help  to  the  sohdng  of  the  capital  and  labour  problem. 
(Applause.) 

The  President  then  formally  declared  the  stores 
opened  and  dedicated  to  the  uses  of  the  Coventry 
Perseverance  Co-operative  Society.      (Applause.) 

The  audience  showed  its  loyalty  by  rising  and  singing 
the  National  Anthem. 

CO-OPERATORS    AT    TeA. 

Upwards  of  1,200  persons  co-operated  in  a  tea  meeting 
held  in  the  Com  Exchange,  and  afterwards  in  the 
same  hall  there  was  a  concert. 

Public  Meeting. 

The  Mayor  (Alderman  Banks)  presided,  and  was 
supported  by  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  J.  W.  Leigh,  Vicar  of 
Leamington  (afterwards  Dean  of  Hereford),  the  Rev. 
F.  M,  Beaumont,  Vicar  of  Holy  Trinity,  Coventry, 
Messrs.  E.  O.  Greening  and  B.  Jones  (London),  Boswell 
C.  Fisher  (Montreal,  Canada),  J.  Hepworth  (Coventry), 
J.  Butcher  (Leicester),  W.  Jones,  J.  H.  Wilhams, 
A.  L.  Newbold,  etc. 

In  opening  the  proceedings  the  Mayor  said  he  under- 
stood the  principles  of  the  society  were  the  education 
of  working  men  in  habits  of  thrift,  temperance,  ready- 
money  dealings,  and  economy  ;    and  any  society  that 


I 


OPENING    OF    NEW    STORES — 1 877  I3I 

inculcated  those  principles  must,  he  thought,  be  of  the 
very  highest  character.      (Applause.) 

The  report  was  read  by  Mr.  D.  Yardley.  It  stated 
that  the  number  of  members  on  the  books  was  734 — - 
an  increase  during  the  year  of  220.  The  sales  had  reached 
the  sum  of  £13,276  los.  8d.,  an  increase  of  £4,184 
17s.  5d.  The  net  profit  was  £1,223  ^os.  gjd.,  an 
increase  of  £459  us.  lod.  Thus  the  increases  were,  in 
membership,  43  per  cent.  ;  sales,  46  per  cent.  ;  and  in 
profits  60  per  cent.  Of  the  profits,  £917  15s.  od., 
equal  to  75  per  cent,  of  the  whole  amount,  had  gone  to 
members  in  the  shape  of  di\adend,  and  of  this  sum 
£566  19s.  od.  had  been  capitahsed. 

The  committee  took  the  opportunity  to  thank  the 
members  for  the  manner  in  which  they  had  responded 
to  the  appeal  for  funds  to  carry  out  the  building  of  new 
stores,  which  had  enabled  them  up  to  the  close  of 
September  to  pay  all  demands  as  they  arose,  without 
having  to  borrow  a  single  shilling.     (Applause.) 

The  Rev.  and  Hon.  J.  W.  Leigh,  who  was  cordially 
welcomed,  in  the  course  of  an  interesting  speech,  said 
he  believed  that  Co-operation  would  become  a  great 
and  enormous  power  for  good  in  this  country,  as  it 
would  be  a  powerful  antidote  to  the  evils  of  trade  unions 
and  strikes  ;  and  as  it  also  encouraged  prudence,  thrift, 
and  forethought,  he  should  always  give  his  support 
to  the  movement.      (Applause.) 

Mr.  E.  O.  Greening,  among  other  things,  said  he  had 
been  so  moved  by  the  degradation,  poverty,  and  de- 
pendence of  the  working  classes,  that  he  adopted  the 
Co-operative  movement  as  the  only  means  that  he  could 
see  of  effectually  helping  the  poorer  classes  in  raising 


132  OPENING    OF    NEW    STORES — 1877 

themselves  out  of  their  present  degraded  condition. 
He  ad\ised  the  members  of  the  society  to  have  a  living 
faith  in  themselves,  in  one  another,  and  in  the  greatness 
of  their  work.      (Applause.) 

The  Rev.  F.  M.  Beaumont,  in  the  course  of  a  sym- 
pathetic address,  said  he  believed  the  objections  to  the 
co-operative  movement  which  were  held  by  retail 
traders,  who  were  a  most  honourable  and  respectable 
body  in  Coventry — (hear,  hear) — were  generally  founded 
on  mistakes — on  errors.  He  did  not  think  that  retail 
traders  would,  in  the  long  run,  suffer  from  Co-operation  ; 
though  another  class — the  publicans — might  do  so. 
(Hear,  hear.)  He  thought  also  that  Co-operation  would 
help  in  the  soKing  of  the  problem  of  better  housing  ; 
at  any  rate,  instead  of  the  wretched  old  cottages  that 
formerly  occupied  the  site,  they  now  had  an  excellent 
block  of  new  buildings.     (Hear,  hear.) 

Mr.  B.  Jones  spoke  of  the  evils  of  adulteration, 
contending  that  co-operators  stood  for  purity  of  food 
and  honesty  in  trading.  Mr.  John  Butcher  commented 
on  the  progress  of  the  movement  and  its  possibilities  ; 
and  Mr.  Fisher  gave  an  exposition  of  true  Co-operation 
as  a  factor  in  social  reform  in  contradistinction  to  the 
methods  of  the  great  London  Stores. 

During  the  evening  some  excellent  vocal  music  added 
pleasure  to  a  meeting  that  marked  an  epoch  in  the  history 
of  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society,  and 
doubtless  gave  a  new  impulse  to  the  movement. 


Chapter  XIX. 


1878. 

"  If  the  wild  filly,  '  Progress,'  thou  would'st  ride, 
Have  young  companions  ever  at  thy  side  ; 
But  would'st  thou  stride  the  staunch  old  mare,  '  Success,' 
Go  A\-ith  thine  elders,  though  they  please  thee  less." 
—Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 

TO  butcher,  or  not  to  butcher  ?  "  That  was 
the  dominating  question  of  the  year  1878. 
In  the  preceding  October  the  members  of  the 
society,  in  quarterly  meeting  assembled,  had  unani- 
mously thanked  the  committee  "for  putting  up  such  a 
beautiful  building  for  us."  Now  a  part  of  this  beautiful 
building  being  a  slaughterhouse,  at  the  January  meeting 
it  was  asked  when  a  Butchering  Department  would  be 
opened  ?  There  were  many  difficulties  in  the  way. 
explained  the  president,  but  of  course  the  question 
rested  with  the  members  themselves.  WTiereupon  it 
was  resolved  to  consider  the  matter  at  a  special  meeting. 
Accordingly,  on  February  19th,  the  pros  and  cons 
were  fuUy  discussed.  The  committee's  opinion  was 
voiced  by  Mr.  G.  Burton,  who  said  he  thoroughly 
believed  in  going  into  the  butchering  trade — not  at 
that  season  of  the  year,  however,  but  in  the  autumn. 


134  1%^ 

The  great  eiqiense  and  coimderable  risks  of  such  a 
department  were  al^>  plainly  stated  and  the  expenences 
of  societies  in  other  towns  c  .:  :t  i 

"That  the  committee  already  ':.:-. i  ^itt. n^r.:  :r.  -~^ 
shonlders  "  was  the  dictam  o:  ]':  W::-.  '  r.^^  vr. : 
contended  that  they  on^t  t:  : :.i:.i^T  ::.t  :  is.r.r-? 
they  were  in  well  before  they  op-:  -  i  ?-  :.    •  one. 

A  proposition  that  the  society  g.  ;::;  l:i=:  bntdiering 
business  at  once  was  made  by  Mr.  C.  Qieckley  and 
seconded  by  Mr.  I.  Hamson. 

The  president  concurred  with  Mr.   JcMies     ?.:.d   :r.T 
general  feeling  seemed  to  "  go  with  the  elder-      :   :  i- 
the  result  of  a  series  of  amendments  it  was  i-  ::i~i  : 
adjourn  the  meeting  for  a  nK»ith.    When  th^"    :   .-  ':.  -  i 
expired,  the  members  postponed  the  whole  -  i       :: 
three  months,  Mr.  Jones  stating  that  the 
were  in  agreement  with  that  course  ;  and  at :.:.  ^r  ^.  . 
they  adjonmed  it  for  two  months  further. 

At  the  August  meeting  the  preadent  called  attention 
to  the  fact  that  two  ^xieties  in  the  Midlands  had  made 
very  heavy  losses  on  their  butdiering  trade  during  the 
past  quarter. 

Mr.  Wm.  Jarrams  remarked  that  if  they  were  to  go 
into  the  trade^  now  was  the  time,  or  they  must  put  it 
off  for  twelve  months. 

The  result  of  these  prolonged  deUberations  was  a 
resolution,  carried  by  a  large  majority,  "  that  the 
question  be  deferred  until  the  committee  see  their  way 
to  go  into  it."  As  is  weU  known,  the  "  way  "  has  not  yet 
been  seen.the  stxiety  having  expanded  in  other  directions. 

That  the  course  taken  was  a  prudent  one  in  the 
dreams tances  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  althou^ 


1878  135 

the  membership  increased,  the  expenses  of  tlie  "  beautiful 
building  "  were  out  of  proportion  to  the  total  turnover. 
At  the  end  of  1877  the  dividend  had  fallen  to  is.  6d. 
in  the  pound,  and  during  1878  the  profits  were  still  lower, 
till  at  the  close  of  the  year  the  di\idend  was  reduced 
to  IS.  3d.  in  the  pound. 

It  was  apparent  that,  for  a  time  at  all  events,  the 
society  had  built  in  advance  of  its  requirements  ;  and 
that  the  members  were  not  all  efficient  co-operators,  as 
the  total  sales  began  to  decrease. 

An  interesting  minute  occurs  under  the  date  of 
July  16 — Mr.  Joseph  Squiers,  the  now  ancient  co-operator 
mentioned  in  Chapter  \I.,  being  admitted  a  member. 

The  sales  during  1878  rose  to  £16,257  i^-  ^^- — ^ 
total  which  stood  as  the  maximum  for  several  vears. 


Chapter  XX. 


A  Presidential  Review. 

"  Reading  maketh  a  full  man  ;    writing  an  exact 
man  ;    conference  a  ready  man  " 

Bacon  :    "  Essays  "  (1597). 

ACTR^E  Co-operators  were  ever  characterised  bv 
a  desire  for  enlightenment,  with  a  disposition 
to  learn. 
In  accordance  with  Lord  Bacon's  maxims,  they  were 
given  to  reading  ;   the}^  thought,  and  they  wrote  ;  while 
their  aptitude  for  talking  was  never  doubted. 

One  of  the  greatest  institutions  in  connection  with  the 
movement  is  the  Annual  Congress.  Dating  from  1869, 
and  continuously  held  ever  since,  the  Congress  may  be 
designated  the  Co-operators'  Parhament.  To  adapt 
Tennyson's  lines — 

"  And  Statesmen  at  its  councils  met 

Who  knew  the  seasons  when  to  take 
Occasion  by  the  hand,  and  make 
The  bounds  of  Freedom  wider  yet." 

Of  secondary  importance  only  in  the  point  of  size, 
perhaps,  have  been  the  numerous  sectional  and  district 
conferences  in  all  parts  of  the  kingdom,  when  delegates 
have  spent  their  Saturday  afternoons  in  Hstening  to 
papers  and  discussing  every  conceivable  phase  of 
Co-operation.     For  many  years  the  subjects  necessarily 


A    PRESIDENTIAL    REVIEW  I37 

related  to  practical  administration  ;  but  there  has 
been  a  progression  into  the  higher  realm  of  Economics — 
the  science  of  the  production  and  distribution  of  wealth. 
For  example,  on  Saturday,  September  30th,  1916, 
there  were  no  less  than  three  conferences  in  the  Midland 
area — at  Burton-on-Trent,  Newark,  and  Coventry — to 
discuss  the  Congress  paper  by  Mr.  J.  F.  Hall,  M.A.,  on 
"  The  Economic  Results  of  the  War,  and  their  Effect 
upon  the  Co-operative  Movement." 

The  educational  value  of  these  meetings  has  been 
incalculable.  Without  exaggeration  it  may  be  said 
that  their  quality  is  as  uniformly  good  as  the  topics 
are  various  ;  and  in  \iew  of  possible  developments 
owing  to  the  war,  and  the  impending  struggle  \\ith 
opponents  of  the  movement,  they  are  of  momentous 
consequence.  At  least,  it  is  desirable  that  Co-operators 
should  be  well  informed,  and  enabled  to  maintain  their 
legal  rights  and  pri\dleges. 

One  of  many  such  Conferences  in  Coventry  was  held 
in  the  Co-operative  Assembly  Hall,  West  Orchard,  on 
February  8th,  1879,  when  delegates  were  present  from 
numerous  societies  in  the  Midland  Section  of  the 
Co-operative  Congress  Board. 

On  this  occasion  Mr.  Joseph  Hepworth,  president  of 
the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society,  who 
was  voted  to  the  chair,  made  some  piquant  remarks 
in  the  course  of  a  paper  on 

"  CO-OPERATIOX    IN    COVENTRY." 

Mr.  Hepworth  said  : — 

The  first  committee-men  of  our  society  will  never 
forget  the  disciphne  which  some  of  them  had  to  undergo. 


138  A    PRESIDENTIAL    REVIEW 

Buying  and  preparing  goods  for  sale,  and  taking  turn 
behind  the  counter,  were  a  labour  of  love,  being  volun- 
tarily undertaken  for  the  love  of  others.  But  the  hardest 
lines  of  all  to  endure  were  those  given  by  the  good  wife 
at  home — ten  o'clock,  eleven  o'clock,  and  sometimes 
later  still,  the  Co-operative  committee  would  disperse 
homeward-bound.  The  first  salute  at  home  would  be, 
in  some  cases,  "  Late  again,  as  usual  !  I  cannot  imagine 
what  you  men  find  to  talk  about.  We  women  get  credit 
for  being  good  at  talking,  but  you  co-operators  will 
beat  us  hollow.  Upon  my  word,  I  wish  I  had  never 
heard  the  word  '  co-operation,'  and  if  things  go  on  Uke 
this  I  shall  wish  Co-operation  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea." 
This  is  but  a  specimen  of  what  many  a  luckless  husband, 
belonging  to  a  Co-operative  committee,  had  to  put  up 
with,  and,  for  the  most  part  in  dumb  silence — answers 
were  of  no  use  :  these  only  added  fuel  to  the  fire.  One 
good  lady,  in  her  warmth  and  forgetfulness  of  love  and 
duty,  threatened  most  dreadful  things  if  there  was  a 
continuance  of  these  late  hours  the  whole  year  round. 
I  mention  these  things  just  to  show  what  may  be  called 
the  domestic  Hfe  of  a  Co-operative  committee-man. 
Ordinary  members  of  a  newly-formed  Co-operative 
Society  know  nothing  of  the  martyrdom  to  which  those 
in  office  are  subjected.  If  they  did,  surely  the  habit 
of  grumbling  at  every  httle  matter  and  thing,  with 
which  some  members  are  afflicted,  would  soon  pass  away. 
At  the  end  of  twelve  months  our  weekly  sales  were 
about  £20,  and  it  was  deemed  desirable  to  look  out  for 
premises  in  one  of  the  main  thoroughfares  of  the  city, 
and  engage  a  storekeeper.  A  large  house,  45,  Bishop 
Street,  was  taken  for  three  years,  at  a  rental  of  £20  per 


A    PRESIDENTIAL    REVIEW  I39 

annum  ;  in  an  out-building  at  the  rear  a  baker's  oven 
was  built,  at  a  cost  of  something  over  /30  ;  and  since 
the  premises  were  taken  for  three  years,  certain  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  writing  off  this  outlay  within  that 
time.  The  storekeeper  engaged  was  a  man  in  middle 
life,  who  was  to  be  both  baker  and  storekeeper,  and 
deliver  bread  in  all  parts  of  the  city  where  customers 
lived,  day  by  day.  And  a  pretty  hard  time  he  must 
have  had  of  it,  to  get  at  co-operators  scattered  here  and 
there  amongst  a  population  of  40,000  people.  More 
was  expected  of  the  man  than  any  one  man  could 
accompHsh,  and  though  he  had  the  sympathy  of  some, 
there  were  others  who  intimated  that  the  storekeeper 
was  getting  careless  and  not  over-industrious,  and  it 
was  time  to  go  in  for  a  change.  A  change  was  soon 
effected  by  the  influence  of  these  disaffected  ones  ; 
majorities  rule  in  Co-operative  committees,  but  here, 
as  elsewhere,  minorities  are  often  in  the  right.  With 
the  engagement  of  our  second  storekeeper  our  real 
troubles  began.  He  was  a  young  man,  full  of  activity 
and  dash,  who  had  been  trained  as  a  grocer  and  pro- 
vision dealer's  assistant  in  the  big  town  of  "  Brum  " — 
a  man  "  who  knew  his  business  " — one  of  your  fast 
young  men.  To  co-operators  I  should  like  to  give  this 
advice  :  Never  have  such  men  behind  a  Co-operative 
counter  ;  they  always  go  faster  than  a  Co-operative 
committee  will  be  able  to  keep  pace  with.  This  fast 
young  grocer,  who  "  knew  his  business,"  was  no  baker, 
so  the  bakery  department  had  to  be  separated  from  the 
grocery  and  a  baker  engaged.  This  nearly  doubled 
the  wages  paid  without  a  corresponding  increase  in 
sales  :    the  business  did  increase,  but  not  so  fast  as  to 


140  A   PRESIDENTIAL   REVIEW 

warrant  the  entire  changes  made.  For  this  there  was 
no  help.  "  Time  tries  all  "  ;  and  you  may  take  my 
word  for  it  the  committee  of  that  day  were  very  sorely 
tried  indeed.  The  grocer  and  the  baker  could  not 
agree  !  The  case  was  not  quite  analogous  to  the  baker 
and  butler  of  Joseph's  time  ;  but  it  would  not  have 
surprised  us  much  if  our  baker  and  grocer  had  been 
found  in  prison  together.  About  this  time  a  youth 
was  engaged,  and  apprenticed  to  the  committee  for  the 
time  being,  but  from  want  of  moral  training  and  other 
causes  combined,  temptation  behind  a  counter  was  too 
much  for  the  lad.  A  prosecution  was  talked  of,  but  a 
better  spirit  prevailed  ;  his  indentures  were  cancelled, 
and  work  obtained  for  him  in  one  of  our  mills,  where 
he  still  remains.  These  changes  brought  discontent  all 
round.  At  the  quarter's  end  we  came  out  with  a  loss 
instead  of  a  profit,  consequently  there  was  no  dividend — 
the  great  desideratum  of  co-operative  societies.  The 
committee  next  engaged  a  baker  and  his  wife,  the  latter 
to  take  charge  of  the  store  when  the  baker  was  at  the 
oven  or  on  his  rounds  dehvering  bread.  At  the  end  of 
the  first  quarter,  under  their  joint  management,  there 
was  a  small  profit  ;  but  even  this  did  not  continue. 
Everybody's  patience  was  well-nigh  exhausted.  It  was 
well  known  that  profits  were  made,  but  it  was  difficult 
to  tell  who  ran  away  with  them  ;  so  that  it  became 
necessar}^  to  make  another  change  in  the  storekeeper. 
One  of  our  members,  a  weaver,  was  selected,  who  with 
his  family  was  to  Hve  on  the  premises,  rent  free,  have 
coals  and  gas  found,  and  he  was  to  be  paid  by  commission 
on  sales  effected.  £40,  £50,  and  soon  £100  per  week 
were  received  over  the  counter  ;    and  it  may  be  said 


A    PRESIDENTIAL    REVIEW  I4I 

that  from  that  time  to  the  present  we  have  had  a  con- 
tinuous tide  of  prosperity.  So  rapid  was  the  growth  of 
the  society  in  numbers,  with  a  corresponding  influx  of 
capital,  that  it  soon  became  indispensably  necessary  to 
look  out  for  new  premises.  \\>  were  ambitious  enough 
to  think  of  business  premises  in  Broadgate,  for  which 
a  very  liberal  offer  was  made  ;  but  the  owner  wanted 
at  least  one-third  more  than  they  were  worth.  Our 
baking  trade  at  that  time  had  far  outgrown  all  our 
accommodation,  the  city  being  then  in  the  full  tide  of 
prosperity.  Rents  ha\ing  risen  25  per  cent,  in  many 
cases,  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  to  meet  with  an\i;hing 
like  suitable  premises  for  all  our  requirements,  except 
at  such  a  cost  that  we  had  no  means  to  acquire  them. 
After  much  dehberation  and  thought,  the  site  of  our 
new  stores  was  fixed  upon  and  secured  for  /500.  The 
buildings  upon  it  were  in  a  most  dilapidated  state,  not 
fit  for  human  habitation,  and  yet  two  famiUes  were 
occupying  two-thirds  of  the  premises  ;  and  it  was  a 
difficult  matter,  after  gi\ing  notice  to  quit,  to  get  one 
of  the  tenants  to  go  ;  iinally  he  had  to  be  got  rid  of 
for  a  consideration.  A  golden  ke}^  unlocks  many  doors. 
In  the  meantime  an  architect  was  busy  with  plans  for 
new  stores.  These  being  completed,  tenders  were 
invited,  one  of  which  was  accepted,  and  the  buildings 
commenced  without  delay,  and  for  business  purposes 
they  are  general!}'  acknowledged  to  be  as  near  perfection 
as  the  site  would  admit  of.  These  Stores,  at  the  end  of 
twelve  months  from  the  time  when  the}'  were  opened, 
stand  in  our  balance  sheet  at  £3,104  i6s.  gd.,  ha\ing 
been  paid  for  by  the  Coventry  co-operators  "  borrowing 
the  money  from  themselves,"  as  one  gentleman  very 
amusingl}'  put  the  matter. 


142  A   PRESIDENTIAL    REVIEW 

A  First  Lesson  in  Social  Reform. 

(Thus  speaks  the  loving  spouse  of  a  Lancashire  man  who  has 
been  found  late  at  night  occupied  in  a  maudlin  discussion  on 
the  subject  of  "  Social  Reform.") 

If  Aw  live  while  yon  mon  comes  i'  seet, 

Aw '11  bet  he's  noan  lung  eawt  o'  bed  ; 
Ther's  summat  bin  waitin'  o'  neat 

'At's  'itchin'  to  get  at  his  yed. 
If  yo'  see  eawr  Jack  lookin'  bad — 

He  happen  may  walk  a  bit  lawm— 
Just  tak'  it  fro'  me  'at  he's  had 

Fost  lesson  i'  Social  Reform  ! 

—Joseph  Cronshaw,  the  Ancoats  poet. 


I 


Chapter  XXI. 
An  Interlude. 

"  I  can  call  spirits  from  the  vasty  deep." 

— Shakespeare. 

IX  pre\dou5  chapters  an  attempt  has  been  made  to 
present  a  just  view  of  the  early  history  of  the 
society.  In  succeeding  memoirs  attention  will 
be  concentrated  on  the  trend  of  the  movement,  its 
general  pohcy,  and  extensions  into  wider  domains  ; 
statistics  and  biographies  being  separateh^  grouped,  so 
that  details  may  not  burden  the  narrative.  But  nothing 
will  be  intentionally  omitted  that  helps  to  elucidate 
"Our  Story." 

The  annual  meetings  of  the  society,  which  served  the 
double  purpose  of  affording  opportunities  for  re-unions 
of  the  members,  and  of  keeping  the  Co-operative  move- 
ment before  the  pubhc,  continued  to  be  held  for  a  long 
succession  of  years,  and  were  invariably  successful, 
speeches  being  delivered  on  various  phases  of  Co-opera- 
tion, and  music  being  also  pro\ided  by  the  society's 
own  choirs.  At  length  the  membership  became  so  large 
that  in  the  absence  of  a  Town  Hall  this  part  of  the 
society's  operations  had  to  be  modified. 

It  is  proper  to  acknowledge  that  the  society's  pro- 
ceedings have  always  been  fairly  reported  in  the  local 
newspaper  press,  whose  columns  have  been  found  useful 
in  the  preparation  of  this  volume. 


Chapter  XXII. 


1879  TO  1882. 


A  HEALTHY  sense  of  honour  is  expressed  in 
the  well-known  British  sporting  precept, 
"  Play  the  game  !  " 

How  far  such  a  sense  consisted  \\dth  the  action  of 
local  anti-co-operators  in  the  beginning  of  1879  was 
publicly  judged  at  the  time,  and  therefore  needs  now 
no  argument.  A  plain  statement  of  the  facts  '\\dll  be 
sufficient  to  enable  present  members  to  form  an  inde- 
pendent conviction  on  this  as  well  as  on  recent 
manoeuvres  of  those  who  would  shackle  the  Co-operative 
movement. 

From  the  outset  the  members  and  the  committee  had 
been  actuated  by  that  spirit  of  cheerful,  heroic  perse- 
verance against  unnumbered  odds  which  distinguishes 
the  British  character.  Whatever  may  be  said  against 
Co-operation,  this  at  any  rate  must  be  conceded  of 
co-operators — they  have  played  the  game  !  Co-operation 
is  to  them  a  means  of  social  reform,  an  exercise  of  moral 
and  legal  rights,  a  public  movement — not  a  conspiracy 
against  individuals. 


i879  145 

But  after  eleven  years  of  varied  expenences  the 
society  was  now  to  sustain  what  was  meant  to  be  a 
deadly  blow. 

_  .'The  president  and  secretary  were,  as  already  stated, 
in  the  ser\ice  of  the  Coventry  Gas  Company.  Both 
were  men  of  honour  and  trustworthiness,  with  whom 
no  personal  fault  could  be  found.  Nevertheless,  certain 
persons  laid  a  complaint  before  the  company  that  these 
two  servants  of  theirs  were  connected  with  a  business 
which  was  inimical  to  the  interests  of  some  of  the 
company's  customers.  The  intrigue  resulted  in  both 
president  and  secretary  gi\ing  notice  of  resignaUon  at 
the  monthly  meeting  on  March  i8th. 

Reasons  for  this  action  being  asked,  Mr.  Hepworth 
replied,  "  Because  we  have  been  asked  to  withdraw  our 
names  from  our  official  positions  \rith  the  society." 
Mr.  Xewbold  said  the  Gas  Company  had  spoken  well  of 
the  society,  but  placed  no  alternative  before  them  as 
servants,  and  he  would  rather  comply  with  a  "  request  " 
than  submit  to  a  command. 

The  resignations  took  effect  at  the  quarterlv  meeting 
on, April  15th,  when  the  two  gentlemen  were  accorded 
a  vote  of  thanks  for  their  services  to  the  society. 

Although  severe,  the  blow  was  not  a  mortal  one. 
The  attitude  of  the  committee  of  management  to 
the  members  was  a  reflection  of  the  song  in  Charles 
Kingsley's  Alton  Locke  : — "  Face  3^our  game  and 
play  it  !  " 

There  were  929  members  ;  the  share  capital  was 
£5oi6  ;  the  quarter's  trade  amounted  to  £3.736.  and 
the  di\4dend  was  is.  4d.  in  the  pound  on  members' 
purchases. 


146  1879 

The  report  of  the  committee  for  this  quarter  (ended 
March  19th)  was  rather  significant,  as  the  following 
paragraphs  show  : — 

"  Tested  by  our  numbers  we  may  say  '  as  you  were,' 
but  by  co-operators  other  tests  applied. 

"  Your  committee  say  to  each  other,  '  What  are  the 
sales  ?  '  While  you  (the  members)  ask,  '  What  is  the 
divi.  ?  '  Profits  make  dividends,  and  sales  make  profits 
under  good  management  and  other  favourable  circum- 
stances. 

"  But  everybody  has  found  out  that  times  are  bad, 
and  thousands  of  business  men  are  at  their  wits'  end, 
not  knowing  how  to  make  both  ends  meet.  To  be  able 
to  hold  our  own  in  times  like  these  is  a  success. 

"  On  this  point  judge  for  yourselves  !  In  the  bakery 
department  there  is  an  increase  ;  but  in  all  other 
branches  of  trade  there  is  a  decrease,  easily  accounted 
for  ;  and  while  a  few  of  the  shopkeepers  say  of  us 
'  Those  co-operators  are  doing  all  the  trade,'  we  simply 
reply  '  It  is  not  true  '  ;  and  if  they  continue  the  cry 
until  they  become  hoarse  it  will  not  make  it  true. 

"  We,  Uke  them,  wait  for  better  times,  behe\dng 
there  is  room  for  us  and  for  them." 

The  filling  of  the  vacated  offices  required  and  was 
given  very  careful  attention. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Williams,  who  had  been  a  member  since 
December,  1874,  and  had  served  on  the  committee  as 
well  as  in  the  treasurership  of  the  society,  was  unani- 
mously elected  to  the  presidency. 

A  decision  was  come  to  that  the  secretary  should 
combine  with  his  duties  those  of  manager,  and  be  a 
whole-time   servant   of  the   society.      Applications  for 


i88o  147 

the  post  having  been  received  and  duly  considered, 
Mr.  Geo.  Jarrams  was  elected  by  an  overwhelming  vote  ; 
and  he  has  annually  been  re-elected  37  times  with  entire 
unanimity. 

During  the  year  an  endeavour  was  made  to  meet 
the  social  wants  of  the  members  by  opening  a  recreative 
club  room  on  Saturda\'  evenings. 

The  sales  for  the  year  amounted  to  /i4,86o  5s.  od. 

1880. 

All  are  agreed  that  in  the  matter  of  music  the 
Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society  deserves 
svell  of  the  community.  Its  connection  with  the  divine 
art  began  no  less  than  thirty  and  seven  years  ago. 
The  year  1880  practically  opened  with  an  endeavour 
to  provide  for  the  elevation  of  the  members  by  the 
starting  of  a  singing  class  on  February  7th,  the 
inauguration  having  taken  place  on  the  31st  of  January 
with  a  "  coffee  meeting."  The  teacher  was  Mr.  Henrv 
\V.  Loasby.  In  this  way  began  the  society's  prominent 
connection  with  the  music  of  the  town,  the  choirs  and 
concerts  under  the  successive  training  and  direction  of 
Mr.  H.  W.  Loasby,  Mr.  F.  \V.  Humberstone,  Mr.  Alfred 
Petty,  and  Mr.  John  Potter  ha\ang  had  a  great 
reputation,  and  many  notable  successes  having  been 
attained. 

At  the  January  meeting  the  president  (Mr.  Williams), 
who  had  just  been  re-elected,  and  complimented  by 
^Ir.  Hepworth  on  the  able  way  in  which  he  was  filling 
the  office,  made  an  application  on  behalf  of  the  committee 
for  authority  to  spend  £25  on  repairs  and  alterations  to 
the  Bishop  Street  Store.    The  principal  work,  it  appeared, 


148  i88o 

consisted  in  lowering  the  building  by  one  storey  and 
altering  the  front.  Of  course  there  was  a  long  palaver, 
with  rather  striking  results.  It  was  evident  that 
something  must  be  done,  as  the  property  had  become 
dilapidated  ;  but  the  discussion  turned  on  the  best 
way  of  providing  for  the  future.  Mr.  Trewinard  moved 
that  the  proposed  expenditure  be  sanctioned,  which 
Mr.  Hepworth  seconded,  with  an  expression  of  opinion 
that  they  should  not  part  with  the  property,  as  it  was 
there  they  had  "  made  themselves."  A  counter-pro- 
position was  in  favour  of  closing  the  store  there  and 
opening  two  small  branch  stores  at  opposite  ends  of 
the  town.  More  business,  it  was  argued,  would  be  done 
if  the  shops  were  nearer  the  homes  of  the  people. 

The  committee  then  made  a  pronouncement  of  a 
policy  which  has  proved  fertile  in  results — they  were 
not  opposed  to  branch  stores  ;  on  the  contrary,  they 
already  had  a  sub-committee  looking  out  for  suitable 
shops.      Thereupon  the  application  was  granted. 

As  to  the  policy  of  branch  stores,  it  may  be  remxarked 
that  the  committee  have  shown  commendable  prescience. 
They  early  recognised  that  members  whose  homes  were 
extending  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  city  and  its 
suburbs  could  not  be  expected  to  take  a  long  journey 
to  the  centre  every  time  they  wished  to  make  purchases. 
Shops  must  be  provided  for  the  convenience  of  the  people. 
Therefore,  whenever  it  was  evident  that  a  district  was 
likely  to  develop,  they  bought  a  site,  and  when  the  time 
became  ripe  they  erected  a  store  thereon.  The  society 
has  radiated,  so  to  speak,  towards  every  cardinal  point  ; 
and  doubtless  its  progress  in  recent  years  has  been 
largely  due  to  this  policy.     There  are  now  (1916)  over 


i 


i88i  149 

two  dozen  branches  in  the  city  alone,  and  others  are 
contemplated. 

During  the  year  the  subject  of  persons  being  investing 
members  only — attracted  no  doubt  by  a  safe  5  per  cent. — 
was  raised,  and  a  return  was  asked  for.  This  was  pre- 
sented in  September,  and  showed  there  were  182  members 
who  had  upwards  of  /i,ooo  invested  in  the  society,  but 
were  making  no  purchases.  This  led  to  a  proposal  to 
lower  the  rate  of  interest. 

The  sales  for  the  year  amounted  to  /i4,9i5  2s.  6d., 
slightly  more  than  the  previous  year  ;  but  the  increased 
cost  of  goods  and  other  causes  resulted  in  a  shrinkage 
of  the  profits. 

1881. 

At  the  first  meeting  a  new  question  arose,  not  of  the 
members'  but  of  the  societj^'s  loyalty — that  was,  the 
amount  of  trade  done  \nth  the  Co-operative  WTiolesale 
Society.  It  was  contended  that  those  societies  which 
were  the  most  loyal  to  the  WTiolesale  Society  were 
pa\ing  the  best  diiidends.  Moreover,  the  "  Perse- 
verance "  had  a  considerable  holding  in  the  shares  of 
the  WTiolesale  Societ}^  The  explanation  given  was 
that  the  committee  invariably  gave  the  WTiolesale 
Society  the  preference,  other  things  being  equal. 

WTien  the  business  of  electing  officers  was  reached, 
the  president  surprised  the  members  by  stating,  with 
much  regret,  that  owing  to  business  engagements  he 
could  not  accept  re-nomination.  Being  pressed  to  con- 
tinue in  the  office  a  little  longer,  he  replied  that  he  was 
unable  to  do  so.  Mr.  Williams  was  then  unanimously 
thanked  for  his  services  as  president,  and  after  expressing 


150  i88i 

his  acknowledgments  he  consented  to  act  as  a  member 
of  the  committee  for  three  months. 

The  question  of  presidency  was  of  course  highly 
important. 

Mr.  A.  L.  Newbold  proposed  that  Mr.  Wm.  Jones  be 
elected  president  for  the  ensuing  twelve  months,  and 
this  was  seconded  by  Mr.  Wm.  Jarrams.  A  proposition 
that  in  the  circumstances  the  matter  be  deferred  for  a 
month  was  negatived.  Thus  there  was  really  but  one 
nomination  before  the  meeting. 

Unlike  the  mayor  of  a  corporate  borough,  who  is  not 
only  required  to  be  a  "  fit  person,"  but  to  take  a  loyal 
oath  and  to  declare  that  he  is  "  seized  or  possessed  "  of 
estate  to  the  value  of  a  thousand  pounds  over  and  above 
"  what  will  satisfy  his  just  debts,"  no  formal  tests  are 
imposed  on  the  president  of  a  Co-operative  society. 
That  he  should  be  a  "fit  person  "  and  co-operatively 
loyal  goes  without  saying,  and  in  this  case  the  qualifica- 
tions were  obvious.  Admitted  a  member  in  January, 
1870,  elected  a  committee-man  in  July  of  the  same  year, 
a  consistent  worker,  a  frequent  speaker,  and  an  ardent 
member  of  the  Educational  committee,  Mr.  Jones  was 
undoubtedly  a  "  fit  person  "  ;  but  a  property  qualifica- 
tion of  a  mayoral  character  might  have  been  a  different 
matter.  Mr.  Jones  had  a  rare,  if  not  unique,  distinction. 
The  resolution  was  carried  in  his  presence.  To  satisfy 
some  delicate  scruples,  however,  he  withdrew,  and  was 
again  elected  in  his  absence.  Thus  the  election  of  Mr. 
Jones  was  duly  carried  twice  over  at  the  same  meeting  ! 
The  doubly-elected  president  of  course  thanked  the 
members,  and  said  he  hoped  he  should  fill  the  office  to 
their  satisfaction.     In  this  way  began  Mr.  Jones's  long 


i882  151 

occupancy   of   the    presidential    chair — 1881-1886,    and 
1899  to  the  present  time. 

During  the  year  the  "  Monthly  Record  "  of  the  society 
was  criticised.  This  little  journal  had  doubtless  done 
some  ser\4ce  in  keeping  the  members  informed  of  the 
society's  doings  ;  but  it  was  questioned  if  it  had  any 
value  as  a  means  of  propaganda,  and  on  grounds  of 
economy  also  it  was  proposed  the  Record  should  be 
discontinued  or  modified.  In  December,  therefore,  it 
was  announced  that  the  "  Monthly  Record  "  would  be- 
come a  quarterh'  one,  and  contain  the  report  and  balance 
sheet.  As  a  quarterl}-  publication  the  Record  was 
continued  for  a  considerable  time,  but  was  ultimately 
discontinued  in  favour  of  a  localised  "  Wheatsheaf." 

The  trade  of  1881  showed  a  further  decline  to  £12,973 
i8s.  od.,  and  the  profits  only  permitted  of  a  5  per  cent, 
rebate  or  bonus.  The  number  of  members  carried 
forward  was  874. 

1882. 

Not  yet  was  the  society  out  of  the  wood.  Business 
had  not  expanded  in  accordance  wdth  anticipations  ; 
the  expenses  were  disproportionate  ;  the  withdrawals 
during  the  early  part  of  the  year  were  heavy,  owing  in 
great  measure  to  several  members  commencing  business 
or  requiring  money  for  building  purposes,  and  the 
committee  felt  that  "  something  must  be  done  to  put 
the  society  on  a  more  favourable  footing."  One  thing 
they  did  ^^■ith  a  view  to  an  increase  of  trade  was  to  re- 
commend that  for  a  period  of  three  months  non -members 
be  paid  lod.  in  the  pound  on  their  purchases. 

In  concluding  the  report  presented  in  July,  the  com- 
mittee thanked  all  those  members  who  had  so  lovallv 


152  i882 

upheld  them  in  the  past,  and  again  appealed  to  members 
generally  to  support  "  their  own  shop."  They  added  : 
"  We  only  need  all  to  do  their  duty  and  then  we  have 
nothing  to  fear.  The  committee  can  buy  well,  make 
good  profits,  and  if  they  had  the  amount  of  trade  that 
is  reasonably  to  be  expected  of  our  members,  could  pay 
a  much  larger  dividend  "  than  one  shilling  in  the  pound. 

In  the  second  quarter  the  turnover  showed  a  slight 
increase  in  comparison  with  the  preceding  quarter,  and 
alsb  over  the  corresponding  quarter  of  the  previous 
year.  But  at  the  October  meeting  the  committee 
pointedly  asked  :  What  had  members  individually  been 
doing  during  the  year  ?  "  Instead  of  an  increase  of 
some  £46  it  should  be  at  least  ten  times  as  much  !  We 
cannot  help  what's  past,"  the  committee  continued, 
"  but  we  can  determine  to  a  very  great  extent  what 
shall  be  done  during  the  ensuing  twelve  months." 

Co-operators  usually  have  a  well-developed  critical 
faculty,  and  are  not  generally  afflicted  with  reticence  : 
they  speak  their  minds,  and  they  speak  out.  At  meeting 
after  meeting  the  position  and  prospects  of  the  society 
were  reviewed  at  great  length.  Of  course,  after  the 
event,  several  members  had  an  increased  amount  of 
wisdom.  They  had  foreseen  that  the  West  Orchard 
site  was  not  an  ideal  one  ;  that  the  new  stores  would  be 
too  large  ;  that  they  were  not  sufficiently  attractive, 
and  so  forth. 

Admittedly  the  turnover  was  unsatisfactory  ;  com- 
petition was  keen  ;  the  net  profits  were  not  lucrative. 
It  was  evident  the  ratio  of  expenses  was  too  high  ; 
there  must  be  retrenchment.  But  how  could  this  be 
effected  ?      The   problem   was  perplexing.      Prolonged 


i 


i882  153 

discussions  took  place  on  the  advisabieness  of  closing 
the  Bishop  Street  Store.  Apart,  however,  from 
sentimental  considerations,  there  were  business  points 
of  \dew.  Would  it  be  good  tactics  to  put  up  the 
shutters  when  the  shop  was  doing  a  trade  of  £70  a  week, 
even  though  branch  stores  were  started  in  other  parts 
of  the  city  ?  The  committee  recommended  closing, 
and  Mr.  Wm.  Jarrams  sentiently  remarked  that  this 
was  due  entirely  to  the  members'  own  shortcomings. 
The  society  followed  the  familiar  parliamentary  practice 
of  appointing  a  Commission,  with  power  to  act — five 
members  chosen  at  a  general  meeting  being  joined  with 
the  committee,  and  Mr.  Hepworth  being  called  in  to 
give  expert  advice. 

Meanwhile  questions  had  arisen  about  the  trading  in 
coal.  On  the  one  hand  it  was  alleged  that  this  branch 
had  not  been  adequately  supported.  On  the  other 
there  were  complaints  of  the  quality,  of  delayed 
deliveries,  and  some  members  had  seemed  aggrieved  that 
coal  porters  were  not  as  polite  as  London  shop-walkers. 

In  the  autumn  it  was  announced  that  a  sub-committee 
had  been  appointed  to  deal  with  the  coal  difficulty.  As 
a  result  the  society  discontinued  the  agency  system, 
and  started  in  the  coal  trade  on  its  o^^^l  account, 
supplying  the  members  direct — a  step  which  has  been 
fully  justified,  as  subsequent  balance-sheets  have  shown. 

The  sales  for  the  year  were  the  lowest  since  1877, 
being  £12,700  17s.  8d. 

"  Resignation  "  has  been  cjmically  defined  as  the 
heroism  of  the  man  who  is  beaten.  Fortunately  the 
"  Perseverance  "  co-operators  showed  no  s\Tnptoms  of 
resignation  of  this  kind,  as  without  their  knowing  it. 
the  dawn  of  a  brighter  day  was  at  hand. 


Chapter  XXIII 


1883  TO  1885 

A  New  Departure — One  Store  Closed  : 
Another  Opened. 

THE  Society  may  be  said  to  have  taken  a  new 
start  in  this  year,  a  progressive  poHcy  having  a 
progressive  response. 
In  January  it  was  announced  that  the  special  joint 
committee  mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapter  had  come 
to  a  deliberate  and  momentous  decision.  This  was  to 
open  a  branch  store  in  the  Hill  Fields  district  and  to 
simultaneously  close  the  store  in  Bishop  Street,  the 
manager  of  this  establishment  (Mr.  Carpenter)  to  be 
transferred  on  equitable  terms  to  the  central  store  in 
West  Orchard. 

This  decision,  said  the  president,  had  been  arrived  at 
after  the  most  careful  consideration  ;  he  believed  this 
was  the  best  arrangement  that  could  be  made,  and  he 
hoped  that  in  carrying  it  out  the  members  would  give 
the  committee  their  loyal  support.  Mr.  T.  G.  Read 
expressed  his  approval,  and  bearing  in  mind  the  strong 
views  which  had  been  held  anent  the  Bishop  Street 
establishment,  asked  the  members  to  sink  all  their 
differences  and  work  unitedly  with  the  committee  to 
promote  the  society's  prosperity. 


1883  155 

The  committee  acted  with  great  energy.  Ere  long 
the  Hill  Fields  branch  store  was  opened  in  Victoria 
Street,  and  gave  satisfactory  results,  a  trade  of  over 
£60  a  week  being  recorded  by  the  end  of  a  year.  The 
remainder  of  the  scheme  was  carried  through,  and  the 
shop  which  had  been  the  Co-operative  home  for  fifteen 
years  was  closed.  Whatever  regrets  were  felt  at  the 
time  were  changed  into  satisfaction  in  after  years. 

The  trade  for  the  year  increased  from  £12,702  17s.  8d. 
in  1882  to  £13,647  3s.  lod. — or  nearly  a  thousand 
pounds  to  the  good,  and  the  dividend  began  to  strengthen 
likewise.  At  the  midsummer  meeting  the  committee 
took  occasion  to  remind  the  members  that  by  increasing 
the  trade  they  decreased  the  ratio  of  expenses — which 
meant  more  dividend.  It  was,  however,  complained 
that  members  did  not  send  in  their  checks  regularly,  as 
with  the  same  amount  of  trade  as  the  previous  quarter, 
checks  to  the  amount  of  £450  more  had  been  received. 

At  the  October  meeting  the  committee,  in  their  report, 
reverted  to  the  topic  of  loyalty  in  shopping,  remarking  : 
"  Your  committee  have  to  thank  those  members  who 
from  quarter  to  quarter  bring  all  the  trade  they  can  to 
their  own  store  ;  and  those  members  who  do  little  or 
nothing  they  would  earnestly  ask  to  consider  their 
position,  and  see  if  during  the  ensuing  quarter  they 
cannot  at  least  render  a  more  loyal  support  to  their  stores 
than  they  have  hitherto  done.  To  make  any  society  a 
success  there  must  be  an  earnest  determination  on  the  part 
of  both  committee  and  members  to  work  well  together." 

At  this  meeting  a  sum  of  two  guineas  was  voted  out 
of  the  profits  towards  a  fund  to  provide  a  lifeboat  to 
be  called  the  "  Co-operator." 


156  i884 

Arrangements  had  been  made  with  various  tradesmen 
to  supply  co-operators,  but  it  appeared  from  complaints 
that  a  certain  butcher  was  giving  co-operators  a  pre- 
ference in  a  curious  way — he  was  charging  them  Jd. 
to  id.  a  pound  more  for  their  meat  than  was  paid  by 
other  customers. 

In  the  autumn  a  clothing  club  was  started. 

1884. 
Second  Local  Branch  Store. 

Early  in  the  New  Year  the  committee  were  formally 
asked  by  the  members  to  consider  the  advisability  of 
opening  a  branch  store  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Spon 
End. 

In  the  March  quarter's  report  the  committee  stated  : 
"  Our  branch  store  is  now  taking  some  {^60  per  week, 
and  this  amount  is  so  encouraging  to  your  committee 
that  we  have  secured  premises  in  Gosford  Street  for 
another  branch.  We  have  not  succeeded  in  finding  a 
suitable  place  for  a  branch  store  in  Spon  End,  but  hope 
to  do  so  shortly." 

A  dramatic  entertainment  was  given  to  raise  funds 
to  provide  a  free  tea  to  poor  children,  and  at  the  April 
meeting  it  was  reported  that  the  treat  had  been  given 
and  the  expenses  had  all  been  defrayed. 

The  report  of  the  committee  for  the  September 
quarter  probably  characterised  the  whole  year  :  "  The 
close  of  another  quarter  enables  us  to  again  place  before 
you  a  statement  of  the  society's  business  for  three 
months,  and  if  the  whole  was  stated  in  as  few  words  as 
possible,  we  should  say  '  as  you  were.'  The  business 
done  is  less  than  last  quarter  if  we  take  the  figures, 


i884  157 

but  we  are  glad  to  say  the  quantity  of  goods  sold  is 
more,  the  low  prices  ruling  making  the  sales  appear 
low.  For  several  years  the  sales  of  the  society  have 
kept  nearly  the  same,  sometimes  a  little  more  or  a  little 
less.  This  is,  of  course,  much  better  than  losing  ground  ; 
but  it  is  not  gaining  the  ground  the  committee  think 
the  society  ought  to  gain.  There  is  a  vast  number  of 
working  men  aU  round  each  one  of  us,  and  if  Co-operation 
is  a  benefit  to  us — and  we  most  emphatically  say  it  is — 
it  might  and  ought  to  be  the  same  to  them,  and  each 
member  should  not  rest  satisfied  until  at  least  some  of 
these  people  can  be  brought  to  see  the  great  advantage 
to  be  obtained  by  joining  us.  It  should  always  be 
borne  in  mind  that  we  cannot  induce  a  person  to  join 
us  and  become  a  purchaser  without  benefitting  the 
whole  society.  The  benefit  of  one  is  the  benefit  of  all. 
If  we  can  but  all  see  this,  and  realise  what  it  means, 
it  will  be  a  poor  co-operator  indeed  who  will  not  do  his 
best  to  make  the  society  a  noble  success  and  a  greater 
benefit  to  all  concerned." 

A  proposal  came  before  the  October  meeting  to  support 
the  movement  for  a  Technical  School  for  Coventry,  and 
on  the  recommendation  of  the  committee  it  was  resolved, 
"  after  some  considerable  discussion,"  and  "by  a 
considerable  majority,"  to  contribute  £5  a  year  for 
five  years. 

On  November  20th  a  branch  of  the  Women's  Co- 
operative Guild  was  formed,  with  Mrs.  Shufflebotham 
as  president  (see  chapter  entitled  "  Woman's  Work  "). 

The  trade  done  during  the  year  amounted  to  £13,941 
14s.  od.,  being  £294  los.  2d.  over  that  of  the  year 
preceding. 


158  i885 

Revolution  in  Bread  Making. 

{a)  Proposals. 

Man  and  bread  are  said  to  be  unique  in  Nature. 
Bread  is  admittedly  "  the  staff  of  life."  Therefore  the 
committee  and  the  society  had  always  given  great 
attention  to  the  bakery  department.  Pure  food  was 
one  of  the  desiderata  of  co-operators  from  the  beginning 
of  their  movement. 

It  is  not  necessary  in  these  later  days  to  describe  the 
mode  of  bread-making  which  prevailed,  except  to 
remark  that,  speaking  generally,  no  authority  on  hygiene 
would  pronounce  it  satisfactory.  It  is  significant  that 
in  the  early  days  of  the  Perseverance  Society  it  was 
proposed  that  an  additional  |d.  per  4-lb.  loaf  should  be 
charged  as  compared  with  that  of  other  bakers,  because 
the  Co-operative  bread  was  pure. 

The  expense  of  maintaining  the  old  style  ovens 
was  very  considerable,  and  it  was  never  felt  that  the 
system  of  heating  by  inside  fires  was  cleanly,  any 
more  than  the  customary  handling  of  the  dough  in  the 
process  of  bread  making  and  baking  was  salubrious. 

After  prolonged  consideration  the  committee  decided 
to  take  a  lead. 

A  special  meeting  of  members  was  convened  for 
Thursday,  May  7th,  1885,  to  consider  a  recommendation 
re  the  putting  in  of  new  ovens  and  machinery.  The 
position  of  affairs  was  clearly  stated  in  the  committee's 
circular  : — 

"  Those  members  who  have  attended  the  meetings 
of  the  society  will  know  that  from  time  to  time  a  con- 
siderable sum  of  money  has  been  expended  upon  the 


i885  159 

ovens  now  at  work  ;  and  at  present  they  are  in  such  a 
state  as  wall  necessitate  the  lapng  out  of  a  still  greater 
sum  to  put  them  in  anything  like  a  good  condition. 

"  Now,  considering  the  great  improvements  there 
have  been  made  in  ovens  for  the  baking  of  bread  during 
the  last  few  years,  and  the  number  of  Co-operative 
stores  in  the  country  which  have  been  and  are  putting 
the  improved  ones  down,  your  committee  think  that  the 
better  plan  would  be  instead  of  repairing  the  old  ones, 
to  put  the  new  ones  in  at  once — the  great  cleanliness  in 
the  making  and  baking  of  bread  being  in  itself  a  very 
strong  recommendation  in  favour  of  this  step,  inde- 
pendently of  the  economical  considerations  attending 
the  working  of  the  new  s^'stem." 

The  committee  recommended  the  installation  of  a 
two-decker  Mason's  continuous  hot  air  oven  at  a  cost 
of  £200,  and  a  dough  kneader  and  flour  sifter,  with 
engine  to  work  them,  also  the  raising  of  the  ceihng  of 
the  bakehouse.  The  total  cost  was  stated  to  be  about 
£600. 

The  President  (Mr.  Jones)  moved  the  acceptation  of 
the  recommendations,  believing  that  the  adoption  of  the 
new  system  would  give  a  decided  impetus  to  the  society's 
trade  by  the  great  cleanhness  in  the  working,  the  dough 
requiring  a  minimum  of  human  labour.  He  thought 
there  might  be  economy  in  working  the  new  system, 
but  of  that  he  was  by  no  means  certain,  and  therefore 
did  not  hold  it  out  as  any  inducement  to  consider  the 
proposals  favourably. 

The  proposals  proved  to  be  acceptable.  Therefore, 
after  thev  had  been  discussed,  and  enquiries  answered 
as  to  the  provision  of  the  money,  they  were  adopted, 


i6o  1885 

as  to  the  ovens  unanimously,  and  as  to  the  machinery, 
etc.,  with  only  four  dissentients. 

[b)  Descriptimi  of  New  Bakery. 

The  work  was  put  in  hand  immediately,  and  without 
any  undue  delay  was  completed  to  the  satisfaction  of 
all  concerned. 

The  following  description  applies  to  this  new  system 
of  bread  making  as  introduced  by  the  society  in  1885  • — 

The  bakery  consists  of  two  rooms  one  above  the 
other. 

The  flour  is  stored  in  the  upper  room,  while  the 
machinery  for  making  and  baking  the  bread  is  in  the 
room  below — that  is,  on  the  ground  floor. 

Starting  at  the  beginning  of  the  process,  it  is  noticed 
that  the  flour  descends  through  a  shoot.  In  its  descent 
the  flour  not  only  passes  through  the  shoot,  but  also 
through  a  sifting  machine,  which  intercepts  all  foreign 
substances,  lightens  it,  and  makes  it  more  capable  of 
taking  up  its  due  proportion  of  moisture. 

In  the  lower  room  the  "  sponge  "  is  prepared,  "  set  " 
in  troughs,  and,  when  ready,  emptied  into  the  kneading 
machine,  which  is  half  cylindrical  in  shape,  and  fitted 
with  two  curved  revolving  knives,  each  having  five 
blades,  whose  first  performance  is  the  mixing  of  the 
sponge. 

When,  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes,  the  sponge  is 
thoroughly  mixed,  the  proper  quantities  of  flour  and 
water,  with  salt,  are  added  to  form  dough  of  the  desired 
consistency.  The  machine  being  again  started,  in  about 
ten  minutes  it  goes  through  its  second  performance — 
the  operation  of  mixing  and  kneading  is  complete. 


i6i 


Under  the  ancient  system  the  kneading,  as  every 
family  bread-making  house^\^fe  used  to  reaUse,  demanded 
perhaps  half  an  hour  or  forty  minutes'  hard  manual 
labour,  and  although  the  reflection  may  not  be  pleasant, 
"  bakers'  bread  "  sometimes  had  a  delicate  flavour  of 
human  perspiration.  Herein  is  seen  one  of  the  great 
advantages  of  machinery  in  the  preparation  of  dough, 
for  the  unperspiring  arms  of  the  kneader  revolve  wdth 
regularit}"  and  ease,  uninfluenced  by  heat,  securing  a 
perfect  mixing,  combined  with  absolute  cleanliness. 

After  being  thoroughly  kneaded,  the  dough  is  emptied 
into  troughs,  covered  up,  and  allowed  to  expand,  or 
"  rise."  It  is  afterwards  thrown  upon  tables,  cut  into 
pieces  weighed,  and  moulded  into  loaves  ready  for  baking. 

The  oven  is  a  Mason's  patent  continuous  hot-air 
two-decker,  and  is  so  vast  an  improvement  that  it  ma\' 
be  described  as  a  new  creation.  Coke  is  used  for  heating, 
and  the  sa\ing  in  fuel  alone  is  not  inconsiderable.  This, 
however,  is  a  secondary  matter,  the  great  advantage 
being  perfection  in  baking.  Generated  at  the  base  in 
the  open  air,  the  heat  is  imparted  externally  to  the 
ovens  by  a  system  of  flues.  Xo  fire  goes  inside  the 
ovens  ;  consequently  they  are  kept  perfectly  clean. 
The  heat  is  under  control,  and  can  be  applied  to  the  top 
or  bottom  of  each  oven,  or  turned  direct  up  the  chimney 
as  may  be  required.  Yew  little  heat  being  allowed  to 
escape,  the  ovens  only  require  heating  once  in  every 
twenty-four  hours  for  a  whole  dav's  baking. 

The  "  batch  "  of  bread,  when  baked  to  a  uniform 
extent,  is  removed,  and  transferred  to  portable  racks 
without  being  handled,  and  from  thence  to  the  vans  for 
deliver  v. 


i62  1885 

On  the  bakehouse  (or  ground)  floor  a  3j-h.p.  silent 
gas  engine  is  fixed,  which  supplies  the  motive  power, 
being  separated  from  the  bakehouse  itself  by  a  glazed 
partition.  Other  important  accessories  are  a  Drake's 
patent  rapid  boiler,  for  heating  the  water  used  for 
mixing  the  dough  ;  and  a  Jennison's  patent  pyrometer — 
a  kind  of  thermometer  in  the  form  of  a  metallic  bar — 
which  is  fitted  to  gauge  the  heat  of  each  oven. 

Throughout  the  whole  process  the  only  occasion  upon 
which  the  dough  is  handled  is  when  it  is  being  cut  up, 
weighed,  and  moulded. 

(c)  Public  Interest  in  the  Reformed  Method. 

The  setting  up  of  the  new  hygienic  system  of  bread 
making  excited  a  considerable  amount  of  pubhc  interest. 
The  attention  of  the  Medical  Officer  of  Health  (Dr. 
Fenton),  physicians,  and  others  was  directed  to  it,  and 
they  freely  recognised  its  merits.  The  innovation  was 
undoubtedly  one  of  the  turning  points  in  the  society's 
career.  The  plant  was  the  first  of  its  kind  to  be  put 
down  in  Coventry,  but  soon  other  bakers  began  to  follow 
the  example,  and  eventually  a  surprising  number  of 
hygienic  bakeries  were  apparently  established  in 
Coventry. 

Without  doubt  the  city  was  indebted  to  the  Coventry 
Perseverance  Co-operative  Society  for  a  dietetic  revolu- 
tion. 

(d)  Opening  Celebration. 

Although  the  new  bakery  had  been  in  operation  for 
some  weeks,  the  formal  opening  did  not  take  place 
until  September  15th.  It  was  celebrated  by  a  public 
tea  and  soiree. 


1885  i63 

Before  and  after  tea,  the  machinery  was  set  in  motion, 
and  was  inspected  by  a  large  number  of  members  and 
friends,  all  of  whom  seemed  favourably  impressed  with 
its  cleanliness  and  efficiency. 

After  tea  the  President  (Mr.  Wm.  Jones)  congratulated 
the  members  upon  the  completion  of  the  new  plant, 
remarking  that  as  they  had  spent  something  like  £600 
in  providing  these  improvements,  they  naturally  looked 
forward  to  considerable  augmentation  of  their  baking 
business. 

During  the  evening  a  quadrille  band,  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  Joseph  Ingram,  played  for  dancing, 
and  songs  were  given  at  intervals,  with  Mr.  H.  W. 
Loasby  presiding  at  the  pianoforte. 

Annual  Festival. 

This  year  the  annual  meeting,  held  on  Tuesday, 
October  31st,  was  presided  over  by  the  Vicar  of  Stoke — 
the  Rev.  T.  A.  Blythe,  D.D. — about  200  having  pre- 
viously partaken  of  tea. 

The  Rev.  Chairman,  in  an  able  and  interesting  speech, 
outlined  the  history  of  the  Co-operative  movement,  and 
aftersvards  proceeded  to  say  that  of  all  the  schemes  for 
the  elevation  of  the  working  classes  he  considered  none 
to  be  so  powerful  and  effective  as  Co-operation.  The 
managers  could  pay  ready  money  for  all  the  goods  they 
purchased,  and  in  consequence  obtained  them  for  the 
lowest  possible  prices,  and  might  also  be  said  to  have  the 
pick  of  the  market.  Under  a  system  of  credit,  the  honest 
people  who  did  pay  were  charged  a  far  higher  price 
than  they  ought  to  be,  in  order  to  compensate  the 
tradesman  for  the  losses  he  might  sustain  through  the 


i64  1885 

dishonesty  of  others.  He  sincerely  offered  to  them  his 
congratulations  on  the  actual  position  of  the  Co-operative 
movement  in  this  ancient  city,  for  it  was  carefully 
organised  and  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

The  Secretary  (Mr.  Jarrams)  read  the  annual  report, 
which  showed  that  the  sales  for  the  past  year  amounted 
to  £i2,()8g  i6s.  gd. 

Addresses  were  given  by  the  Rev.  W.  Kipling  Cox, 
Mcar  of  Christ  Church,  and  the  President  (Mr.  W.  Jones), 
who  spoke  of  the  many  advantages  of  Co-operation,  and 
of  its  benefit  to  the  community  at  large. 

A  compliment  was  paid  to  the  chairman,  on  the 
proposition  of  Mr.  J.  Hepworth,  seconded  by  Mr.  Charles 
Shuffle  both  am. 


Chapter  XX1\'. 
1886—1887. 


1886. 


"  The\-  have  their  exits  and  their  entrances." 

— Shakespeare. 

MESSRS.  A.  Letzer.  T.  Reynolds,  and  G.  Burton 
liad  doubtless  saved  the  society  money  by 
their  superintendence  of  the  installation  ol 
the  new  apparatus  for  bread-making.  Therefore,  at 
the  Januar}'  meeting,  acknowledgment  was  made  of 
their  services. 

The  committee  recommended  that  £6  be  granted  as 
a  relief  fund  to  be  given  away  in  bread.  The  meeting, 
however,  unanimoush'  resolved  to  grant  £10. 

A  bonus  for  the  previous  quarter  was  dt^clarcd  oi 
IS.  4d.  in  the  pound  on  members'  purchases. 

On  the  proposition  of  Mr.  Hepworth,  seconded  by 
Mr.  Biggs,  Mr.  Wm.  Jones  was  unanimously  re-elected 
president,  and  thanked  the  members  for  the  confidence 
placed  in  him. 

At  the  April  meeting,  however.  Mr.  Jones  resigned 
the  office,  and  without  going  into  details  he  intimated 
that  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  position 


i66  1886 

could  be  filled  with  more  advantage  to  the  society  by 
someone  else. 

Mr.  Hepworth  was  elected  president  pro  tern.  ;  and 
a  unanimous  vote  of  thanks  was  passed  to  Mr.  Jones 
for  his  services  to  the  society. 

The  state  of  trade  in  Coventry  was  depressed  at  this 
time,  and  the  purchasing  power  of  members  was  in 
consequence  decreased.  The  sales,  however,  showed  a 
slight  improvement  over  those  of  the  last  quarter, 
which  so  far  the  committee  deemed  satisfactory. 

But  "  what  we  want,"  they  reported,  "is  an  increase 
in  the  number  of  members  who  will  spend  all  they  possibly 
can  at  the  stores,  and  a  little  more  loyalty  on  the  part 
of  some  of  the  members  who  are  in  a  position  to  do 
more  with  us." 

In  a  paragraph  relating  to  the  drapery  department 
the  committee  had  a  "dig"  at  a  notorious  kind  of 
tradesmen's  advertising  then  in  vogue.  They  said, 
"  This  department  certainly  deserves  more  attention  on 
the  part  of  members.  We  do  not  every  other  week 
advertise  a  '  selling  off,'  and  then  state  that  it  has 
been  so  successful  that  we  have  an  entirely  new  stock 
to  continue  the  sale.  We  certainly  think  co-operators 
should  not  be  caught  in  such  traps  as  these.  We  do 
an  honest  trade,  and  as  far  as  possible  endeavour  to 
do  the  best  for  members  ;  the  more  trade  done  with 
us  the  better  position  you  put  us  in  to  do  still  better, 
and  the  more  money  you  spend  elsewhere  the  worse 
position  you  place  us  in." 

The  coal  department  was  at  the  same  time  reported 
to  have  done  the  largest  trade  in  any  one  quarter,  the 
sales  being  £404  3s.  iid. 


i886  167 

The  dividend  for  the  quarter  was  is.  4d.  in  the  pound 
on  members'  purchases. 

On  May  iSth  the  members  proceeded  to  the  election 
of  a  president,  when  Mr.  H.  Penn  proposed  Mr.  John  T. 
Lower,  who  was  seconded  by  ]\Ir.  \Vm.  Jarrams. 

Mr.  Lower  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  society,  and 
had  shown  his  quahty  as  a  committee-man  for  some 
years.  Several  members,  in  addition  to  the  proposer 
and  seconder,  spoke  in  his  favour,  and  the  proposition 
was  carried  unanimously.  Mr.  Hepworth  then  installed 
Mr.  Lower  in  the  presidential  chair,  which  he  was  destined 
to  occupy  for  thirteen  important  years,  and  offered  him 
his  congratulations.  The  new  president  thanked  the 
members  for  his  election,  stating  that  he  had  not  sought 
the  office,  but  he  should  do  his  best  to  fill  it  satisfactorily. 
A  brief  account  of  Mr.  Lower's  career  will  be  found  in 
a  later  chapter  entitled  "  Our  Presidents." 

The  first  quarterly  report  signed  b}'  Mr.  Lower  as 
president  stated  that  business  was  satisfactory,  being 
an  increase  to  the  value  of  £480  over  the  corresponding 
quarter  of  the  pre\'ious  year  ;  but — and  there  was  often 
a  "  but  " — there  was  still  room  for  improvement, 
especially  in  the  boot  and  shoe  department,  as  price 
and  quality  would  bear  comparison  with  any  goods 
to  be  obtained  elsewhere.  The  committee  asked  that 
the  sales  should  be  kept  up,  so  that  the  dividend  might 
be  maintained  at  is.  6d. 

In  October  the  Committee  had  the  felicity  of  con- 
s^ratulating  the  members  on  the  continued  prosperity 
of  the  society,  including  a  steady  increase  in  the  bread 
trade,  and  for  the  fourth  quarter  a  gratifying  balance 
sheet  was  presented. 


i68  1887 

The  sales  for  the  year  amounted  to  £15,530  i8s.  od., 
being  the  second  highest  in  the  nineteen  years  of  the 
society's   existence. 

1887. 
"  A  strenuous  soul  hates  cheap  successes." — Emerson. 

The  year  1887  ^^^  ^^  eventful  one  in  the  history  of 
Coventry.  To  start  with,  there  was  considerable 
distress  ;  a  Parliamentar}'  election  took  place  ;  the 
Jubilee  of  the  glorious  reign  of  Queen  Victoria  was 
celebrated  ;  there  was  a  large  Warwickshire  Bank 
failure  ;  and  in  the  autumn  the  Technical  Institute 
was  opened.  These  were  all  in  addition  to  matters 
which  in  normal  times  would  have  been  deemed  of 
first-class  interest. 

Notwithstanding  these  distractions,  the  year  was  an 
eventful  one  in  the  history  of  the  societ3\ 

At  the  Januar}'  meeting  it  again  appeared  difficult 
to  measure  the  charitableness  of  the  members'  dis- 
positions. The  committee  recommended  a  grant  of  £8 
to  the  local  relief  fund,  but  the  meeting  unanimously 
resolved  upon  a  25  per  cent,  advance,  and  made  the 
contribution  one  of  £10. 

This  was,  however,  a  comparatively  smxall  incident. 
There  were  three  circumstances,  at  least,  of  great 
moment.  One  was  the  expansion  of  the  bread  trade, 
with  consequent  increase  of  responsibilities  ;  the  second 
was  an  al  fresco  festival  ;  and  the  third  was  a  year's 
trading  which  created  a  new  record,  accompanied  by 
satisfactory  dividends.  To  what  extent  the  three  were 
interdependent  it  was  perhaps  impossible  to  say.     There 


188;  i6ci 

can  be  no  doubt,  liowcvrr.  tlial  the  adoption  of  the  n^w 
system  of  bread-making  had  influenced  piibhc  opinion, 
as  the  demand  for  "  Co-operative  bread  "  exceeded  the 
means  of  production.  The  situation  was  set  forth  in 
the  report  of  the  committee  presented  to  the  meeting 
on  October  i8th  :  "  Your  committee  have  for  some 
time  been  very  much  inconvenienced  through  insufficient 
oven  accommodation  for  baking,  and  the  bread  con- 
sequently suffering  in  quality,  causing  complaints  from 
some  of  our  members,  whicli  we  are  determined  to 
avoid  if  possible  b\'  removing  the  cause.  We  have  there- 
fore decided  to  put  down  more  ovens  of  the  same  kind 
as  those  we  have,  and  have  entered  into  a  contract 
with  the  patentee  to  supph^  an  additional  three-decker 
( i\-en.  It  is  now  in  course  of  erection,  and  when  complete 
will  ,i^ave  us  the  power  to  double  our  production." 
The  contract  price  was  stated  to  be  £255,  the  society 
to  make  the  necessary  preparations.  That  the  matter 
was  of  urgent  character  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the 
committee  had  taken  action  first,  and  asked  for  authority 
afterwards.  The  proceeding  was  sanctioned,  apparently 
without  demur,  and  leave  was  also  given  to  provide  a 
store-room  for  fiour  at  a  further  cost  of  £71. 

These  additions  to  the  society's  plant  and  responsibili- 
ties gave  a  zest  to  the  annual  festival,  which  was  held 
on  Tuesday,  November  15th,  in  the  societ^-'s  assembly 
room.  The  tea,  at  which  there  was  a  good  attendance. 
was  served  by  members  of  the  committee  and  tlie 
Women's  Guild.  In  the  interval  between  tea  and  the 
evening  meeting,  many  persons  availed  themselves  of 
the  opportunity  of  inspecting  the  new  "  three-decker  " 
and  the  working  of  the  bakerv  generallv. 


170  i887 

At  tlio  ineefing  the  President  (Mr.  J.  T.  Lower) 
occupied  the  chair,  and  in  opening  the  proceedings 
traced  the  society's  progress  from  the  commencement, 
informing  the  meeting  that  next  April  they  would 
celebrate  its  coming  of  age.  He  concluded  by  formally 
declaring  the  new  oven  open. 

The  secretary  (Mr.  G.  Jarrams)  read  the  annual  report, 
which  stated  that  the  total  sales  for  the  year  had  been 
£16,723,  an  increase  of  £2,000  over  the  previous  year  ; 
of  this  sum  £1,192  represented  the  increase  in  the  bread 
trade. 

The  meeting  was  addressed  by  Messrs.  C.  Shut^e- 
botham  and  J.   Hepworth. 

A  Co-operative  picnic  was  a  somewhat  unusual 
event.  It  was  held  on  Saturday,  July  i6th,  and  was 
managed  by  the  Educational  Committee,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  the  Women's  Guild.  It  proved  so  successful 
that  at  the  quarterly  meeting  the  same  month  a  special 
vote  of  thanks  was  passed  to  the  organisers. 

The  sales  for  the  complete  year  amounted  to  £17,133 
17s.  2d.,  exceeding  the  pre\nous  record  (1878)  by 
£876  15s.  6d.,  and  the  dividend  for  each  of  the  four 
quarters  was  is.  8d.  in  the  pound  on  members'  pur- 
chases. 

In  their  report  for  the  concluding  quarter  the  com- 
mittee congratulated  the  members  on  the  continued 
and  increasing  prosperity  of  the  society',  and  added  : 
"  We  sincerely  trust  our  members  will  be  true  to  their 
own  store,  and  bring  all  the  trade  they  possibly  can. 
Then  the  year  that  has  just  commenced  (1888)  will 
show  better  results  than  even  the  one  just  completed, 
which  has  been  the  most  prosperous  one  in  the  society's 


! 


i887 


171 


history."  The  committee's  principle  of  action  was 
e\idently  "  Persevere  and  go  forward." 

In  July  it  was  announced  that  a  Midland  conference 
would  be  held  in  the  society's  assembly  hall  on  Saturday, 
August  13th,  and  members  were  urged  to  attend.  The 
conference  proved  to  be  of  importance,  both  in  regard 
to  its  size  and  the  subject. 

Mr.  J.  T.  Lower  was  courteously  voted  to  the  chair, 
and  the  proceedings  were  exceptionally  interesting. 
The  subject  was  "  Co-operative  Agriculture,"  introduced 
with  an  able  paper  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Loveday,  of  Rugby. 
The  conference  was  more  academic  than  otherwise,  as 
it  was  agreed  that  an  insuperable  obstacle  to  progress 
on  the  lines  indicated  was  the  state  of  the  Land  Laws — 
before  Co-operators  could  get  the  land  they  must  get 
the  Land  Laws  altered,  which  would  be  a  stupendous 
undertaking.  Co-operators  had  brains,  they  had 
schemes,  and  collectively  they  had  capital  ;  but  thev 
had  no  political  power  to  compel  legislation  of  the  kind 
required.  Although  the  proposals  may  have  been 
immediately  unfruitful,  there  could  be  no  doubt  the 
paper  and  tlit-  discussion  were  of  great  educational 
value. 


Chapter  XXV. 


Coming  of  Age. 


THli  yt'ar  1888  is  conspicuous  in  the  history  of 
the  Co\entrv  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society, 
for  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  the  third  month 
the  society  reached  its  twenty-first  birthday. 

Not  alone  by  an  individual,  but  by  an  institution, 
"  coming  of  age  "  is  usually  regarded  with  interest,  and 
not  infrequently  celebrated  with  rejoicing  ;  and  the 
attainment  of  the  society's  majority  was  an  occasion 
when  the  members  thought  they  would  be  justified  in 
making  merry. 

It  was  realised  that  this  local  branch  of  a  national 
movement  for  social  reform  had  now  established  itself  : 
the  new  cause  in  an  old  city  had  triumphed  over  all  the 
perplexities  of  infancy  and  youth.  The  triumph  was  a 
fairly  substantial  one  ;  and  with  further  "  perseverance  " 
and  courageous  prudence  it  could  be  consolidated  and 
larger  progress  ensured.  One  fact  that  entered  into 
these  considerations  was  that  the  sales  during  the  pre- 
vious year,  amounting  to  over  /i7,i33,  had  been  the 
largest  in  the  society's  experience. 

The  accompanying  photograph  of  an  original  poster 
preserved  by  the  president  at  the  time  (Mr.  J.  T.  Lower) 
shows  that  preparations  had  been  made  for  a  celebration 


COVENTRY    PimSEVERANCt: 

CO-OPERATIYE  SOCIETY, 

UBITtD. 

ESTAnTJS¥fFJ>   1867, 

Ti»  Co«ftmitl«»  of  th«  «boT«  b»ii  to  ;  =  fcr=:  '2^  Ye-zbf,  md  'fie  Pubh.  i[»E»r»!ly  '.tm:   ih»»  iat»B* 

TEECDMII&DrMorTSESOCIEn 

WEDNESDAY  &  THURSDAY,  APiill  18  &  19. 1888. 


^  On   WKI>\F.SI)AV.  APHIL  iN 

A  FME  TEA  TO  liBERS 

M  m  ASSEMK.?  Rim,  WEST  (ffiOURD, 

Meiaben   !Exi»t    apply   fc;-   their    Ticket*  tt  the  OSce.  i-^i-.sg  CSSce  Eoare.  bftw»e!!  A;ri;  4  led  Api-.i  14. 
after  -rhieh  date  No  Free  T-.cket«  wi:-  b<  seeced  tc  Mecber* 

NoD-Membcrs  6d.  eH<h.  'I'ini<-  <>f  IVa  on   ri<k»"t<. 

MEETING  i  CONCERT 


r-LL    K2    HTUD 


IN  THE  CORN  EXC^IitfiGE,  AT  7  O'CKK^K. 

Tlje  Rev.  F.  M.  BEAl'MoNT  h!.«  kindly  <-..n-.nt.-<i  f.  |)re>i.l*'. 

J.  T.  W.  HITCEELL,  Esq^,  of  Eochd^e,        6.  HHVES,  Esq..  of  IpsvicL 

VOCAUSTS 

Mr.  F.  H.  8MTTH.    Mr.  HKKBEK'I   COOPEH      M.>^«p<.  A.  A:  H.  HANSON. 

acx;ompan:s7       -      -      -      y-  >.   r-ANiros 
•Wf^m:   -wo  ■■««.*!•«*   «B.«i»«KW   Mmmm:   c-nnna  ^  K.m.v    ■.w-b-x-ed. 
»»».».»....»,,»»»..»i,. »...».» ...■■»■»■»»»»»..»■■■■■»■ 

On  THl  KSDAY.  APKII.  lU.  A 

CHILDREN'S  FESTIVAL 

For  Me=b?rs     Chiiir.r;    .aEi»r   !2  T-arj   of  a?e'  w-Ii  be  bei<J  in  

INVITATION  BALL 

WILL  BE  ILL!  I>  TDF:  (0B>  EUIA^CL 

Dancing  \o  ccrr.rr;er.c^  ,*;  i-  ^c.^:k  fi-'-->-  ■■  -r   ~    .  -       ■    ■.    :•'.•.  .f.  NKxj-ri';-  P- ;;-i 

#•-   The  TlcietrforThe  "cJiUdren  •  YeatiTal  acd    InTitallon  Bali  moat  bajbtal*^  dM^O«e« 
Hour*  from  AprU  4  to  April  14.  TlekeU  iaaued  to  Meiaban  oaiv-Dot  »or«  tkia  1  TW.  8  qM14r»B  a. 

Reproduction  of  Comincx  of  Age  Poster. 


COMING  OF    AGE  1 75 

of  an  important  character.  First,  a  free  tea  to  members  ; 
second,  a  Co-operative  "  demonstration  "  with  song  and 
speech — the  musicians  being  well-kno\\*n  local  artistes, 
and  the  speakers  men  of  prominence  in  the  Co-operative 
world  ;  third,  a  treat  to  juvenile  co-operators  ;  fourth, 
a  Terpsichorean  festival.  If  co-operators  were  reputedly 
hard-headed,  of  clear  \iews,  critical  acumen,  and  much 
force  of  character,  it  was  evident  they  also  believed 
in  social  brightness  ;  and  the  programme,  carefully 
prepared,  was  carried  with  much  heartiness  to  a  success- 
ful conclusion. 

The  free  tra  to  members  on  Wednesday,  April  i8th, 
was  a  great  undertaking,  there  being  several  "  sittings 
down,"  both  in  the  Co-operative  Assembly  Hall  and  the 
West  Orchard  School  Room. 

At  the  evening  "  demonstration  "  in  the  Corn  Ex- 
change, too.  there  was  a  very  large  attendance. 

The  Rev.  F.  ^I.  Beaumont,  Mcar  of  Holy  Trinity  and 
Rural  Dean  of  Coventry,  presided,  and  among  those 
who  supported  him  were  Mr.  J.  T.  W.  Mitchell  (of 
Rochdale),  chairman  of  the  Co-operative  Wholesale 
Society  ;  Mr.  George  Hines,  president  of  the  Ipswich 
Co-operative  Societ}^  ;  Mr.  J.  T.  Lower  (president), 
^Ir.  Joseph  Hepworth  (first  president),  Mr.  Wm.  Jones 
(ex-president).  Mr.  George  Jarrams  (Secretary)  ;  Messrs. 
W.  ]\IcGowran,  T.  Kirby,  C.  Shufflebotham,  G.  Burton. 
J.  Taylor,  T.  G.  Beamish,  E.  Colledge  (Foleshill), 
W.  Jarrams,  W.  E.  Ward,  etc. 

Chairman's  Speech. 

The  Rev.  Chairman,  on  rising  to  open  the  proceedings, 
was  received  with  loud  applause. 


1/6  COMING    OF    AGE 

He  remarked  that  the  Co-operative  movement  was 
doing  more  for  the  working  classes  of  this  country  than 
any  other  movement  could  possibly  do.  \\'hy  ?  Be- 
cause it  was  a  self-help  movement.  (Hear,  hear.) 
There  were  various  movements  which  had  been  initiated 
by  those  whom  Providence  had  made  the  custodians 
(.)t  great  wealth  ;  but  this  movement  was  based  on  a 
surer  foundation  than  any  benevolent  impulse  of 
philanthropically  disposed  persons,  for  it  depended  on 
the  working  classes  themselves.  (Hear,  hear.)  It  was 
absolutely  independent  of  anything  except  th*.-  energies 
and  capital  of  the  working  classes,  and  t)  e  success  or 
failure  of  the  movement  must  entirely  depend  on  the 
way  in  which  it  was  supported  or  not  supported  by  tluMU. 
(Hear,  hear.) 

The  Co-operative  nin\i'ment  was  one  of  those  thnt 
tended  to  the  stability,  good  order,  and  progress  of  our 
beloved  countr}^  and  if  there  were  any  who  still  had 
any  doubts  on  the  subject,  it  w^ould  only  be  necessary 
for  them  to  look  into  the  faces  of  those  whom  he  saw 
before  him  in  order  to  be  convinced  that  that  movement 
must  be  a  good  one  which  had  enlisted  the  sympathies 
of  so  many  citizens.  (Applause.)  It  was  now  easy  to 
see  that  the  rich — the  very  rich — were  getting  poorer ; 
and  the  poor — or  the  very  poor — were  getting  richer. 
This  was  one  of  the  best  signs  of  the  times  they  could 
possibly  have,  because  those  who  were  very  rich  would 
not  miss  what  was  taken  from  them  by  fluctuations  in 
agriculture,  while  those  who  were  very  poor  would 
benefit  very  much  indeed  by  additions  to  the  wage  fund 
of  the  nation  or  savings  which  by  their  industry  or 
thrift  they  might  be  able  to  accumulate.     (Hear,  hear.) 


I 


COMING    OF    AGE  I -7 

He  was  tnld  by  those  who  could  speak  \nth  authority, 
that  there  was  a  marked  progress  in  national  prosperity. 
They  might,  he  believed,  congratulate  themselves  they 
were  on  the  right  line,  and  that  there  was  considerable 
progress  being  made  in  the  well-being  of  the  working 
classes.  That  was  something  for  which  they  might 
thank  God  and  take  courage. 

He  believed  there  was  no  other  nation  which  offered 
such  great  advantages  to  the  working  classes  as  England. 
In  Coventry  alone  there  were  advantages  offered  to 
young  men  or  young  women  belonging  to  the  working 
classes  which  were  not  to  be  surpassed  in  any  other 
town  or  community.      (Hear,  hear.) 

Amongst  others  he  might  mention  the  Free  Librarv. 
the  School  of  Art,  and  very  shortly  thev  would  be 
reaping  the  full  benefit  of  the  Technical  Institute,  the 
whole  of  which  would  be  within  the  range  of  the  working 
classes  who  liked  to  use  them.  If  thev  added  to  these 
the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  Co-operation,  thev  would 
have  the  means  for  encouraging  the  w^orking  classes  to 
press  onward  towards  improving  their  condition. 
(Hear,  hear.)  He  pointed  out  that  this  movement  was 
not  in  opposition  to  any  other,  as  was  sometimes 
erroneously  supposed.  There  was  always  room  in 
Coventry  for  a  very  considerable  extension  of  the 
Co-operative  system,  and  the  result  would  be  a  great 
increase  in  the  prosperity  of  the  working  classes,  w^ho 
made  up  the  bulk  of  the  population.      (Applause.) 

History  of  Co-operation  in  Cott:ntry. 

Mr.  George  Jarrams,  secretary,  read  a  history  of 
Co-operation  in  Coventry  and  the  Perseverance  Society 


178  COMING    OF    AGE 

in  particular,  which  was  concise  and  interesting.  Free 
use  having  been  made  of  the  paper  in  the  preparation 
of  this  narrative — for  which  acknowledgments  are  due 
and  are  hereby  made — it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  give 
it  in  extenso.  The  following  brief  summar}^  gained 
publicity  through  the  columns  of  the  Co-operative  News  : 

"  Mr.  Geo.  Jarrams  pointed  out  that  some  years 
before  the  Rochdale  Pioneers  thought  of  establishing 
their  store,  Co-operation  was  in  existence  in  Coventry. 
He  described  the  failure  of  several  societies,  including 
the  Labourers'  and  Artisans'  Society,  which  at  one  time 
had  upwards  of  a  thousand  members.  The  Perseverance 
Society  was  started  in  1867  ;  a  number  of  members  who 
had  suffered  considerably  being  some  of  the  first  to  join, 
having  the  conviction  that  the  principle  was  a  sound  one  ; 
and  rules  similar  to  those  of  the  Rochdale  Pioneers  were 
adopted.  The  store  was  first  opened  on  the  5th  of  April, 
1867,  the  receipts  being  8s.  9M.  for  the  first  day,  and 
the  trade  for  ten  weeks  amounting  to  £114  los.  3d., 
upon  which  a  profit  was  made  of  £3  13s.  iid.,  out  of 
which  a  dividend  was  paid  to  members  of  46..  in  the 
pound,  and  to  non-members  of  2d.  in  the  pound.  In 
1887  the  sales  amounted  to  £17,133  17s.  2d.,  and  the 
dividend  paid  was  is.  8d.  all  through  the  year  ;  while 
the  share  capital  stood  at  £9,027.  The  total  sales  since 
the  society  started  had  been  £196,449.  During  the  past 
ten  years  the  sales  had  been  £145,000  ;  the  profits 
£13,460  ;  interest  paid  £2,920  ;  dividends  paid  £8,364  ; 
depreciation  of  buildings  £736  ;  depreciation  of  fixed  stock 
£962  ;  to  reserve  fund  £220  ;  to  Educational  fund  £258." 

Mr.  Jarrams  added — and  this  was  not  reported  at 
the  time — "  What  the  future  of  the  society  is  to  be  is 


COMING    OF    AGE  I79 

entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  members  ;  it  will  be  just 
what  you  make  it.  If  you  believe  the  principle  of  Co- 
operation to  be  right,  just  and  true,  the  committee 
one  and  all  earnestly  ask  you  to  join  hands  with  them. 
In  so  doing  you  will  help  on  a  cause  which  most  of  the 
best  men  of  the  present  day  are  pleased  to  see  making 
such  rapid  strides,  and  which  the  working  men  of  the 
northern  counties  have  proved  to  be  of  such  immense 
advantage  in  raising  them  in  the  social  scale.  Let 
Coventry  working  men,  then,  not  be  behind  them  in 
obtaining  the  benefits  they  have  shown  can  be  realised 
from  Co-operation,  remembering  always  that  '  United 
we  stand,  divided  we  fall.'  " 

Mr.  Hines. 

Mr.  Geo.  Hines  (Ipswich),  who  was  received  with 
applause,  delivered  an  able  and  instructive  address. 
He  congratulated  the  society  on  attaining  its  majority, 
and  having  regard  to  the  encouraging  character  of  the 
report  which  had  been  read,  he  ad\ised  them  to  "  be 
not  weary  in  well-doing."  He  related  several  anecdotes 
showing  how  necessary  it  was  for  would-be  co-operators 
to  use  tact  and  judgment  in  tr\dng  to  convince  their 
wives  of  the  value  of  Co-operation.  He  contended  that 
societies  had  duties  as  well  as  individuals,  and  the 
principal  one  in  this  instance  was  to  endeavour  to  carry 
Co-operation  beyond  the  borders  of  its  owti  immediate 
operations,  such  as  starting  branch  societies  in  neigh- 
bouring villages.  He  advised  co-operators  to  leave 
their  dividends  to  accumulate  in  the  societies,  to  provide 
a  fund  for  use  when  unexpected  contingencies  of  a 
serious  character  arose.     He  s:ave  some  fissures  to  show 


I  So  COMING    OF    AGE 

how  Co-operation  was  benefiting  the  masses  of  the 
people  of  the  country.  There  were  nine  Co-operative 
counties — Lancashire,  Yorkshire,  Cheshire,  Derbyshire, 
Leicestershire,  Lincolnshire,  Nottinghamshire,  Durham, 
and  Northamptonshire.  Now  in  those  counties  onh'^ 
22  in  1,000  of  the  population  were  receiving  poor  law 
relief,  while  in  the  other  non-co-operative  counties  as 
many  as  33  per  1,000  were  receiving  relief.  In  the  nine 
Co-operative  counties  one  in  every  five  of  the  population 
was  connected  with  the  Co-operative  Society,  while  in 
the  other  counties  only  one  in  35  was  connected  with  a 
store.  These  figures  showed  how  much  Co-operation 
tended  to  inculcate  thrift  amongst  the  working-class 
population.  In  conclusion  he  went  into  a  calculation 
to  show  how  co-operators  might,  by  the  accumulation 
of  their  dividends,  become  the  owners  of  the  houses 
they  lived  in. 

Mr.  Mitchell. 

Mr.  J.  T.  W.  ^Mitchell,  who  was  well  received,  argued 
that  Co-operation,  or  the  doctrine  of  association.  Was 
connected  with  the  most  notable  enterprises  the  world 
had  ever  seen.  In  its  elements  it  touched  the  interests 
of  all  mankind,  and  it  ought  to  be  shown  to  children 
as  well  as  to  those  who  were  more  advanced  in  life, 
that  Co-operation  really  meant  unselfishness.  He  re- 
garded Co-operation  as  the  secular  side  of  the  great 
work  in  which  their  chairman  was  engaged.  He  con- 
tended that  the  consumer  had  hitherto  not  received  an 
equitable  share  of  the  benefits  arising  from  distribution, 
and  in  order  to  remedy  this  there  was  no  better  method 
than  the  Co-operative  system.      (Applause.) 


COMING    OF    AGE  l8l 

Compliments. 

Mr.  J.  T.  Lower  proposed,  and  Mr.  Charles  Shuffle- 
botham  seconded,  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Messrs.  Hines 
and  Mitchell  for  their  addresses. 

This  was  carried  with  acclamation,  and  Mr.  Mitchell 
acknowledged  the  compliment  for  both. 

On  the  proposition  of  Mr.  W.  Jones,  seconded  bv 
Mr.  W.  McGowran,  a  vote  of  thanks  was  accorded  to 
the  Rev.  Chairman,  who,  in  acknowledgment,  said  he 
had  always  taken  an  interest  in  the  subject  of  Co-opera- 
tion, and  was  very  glad  of  having  had  an  opportunitv 
of  doing  anything  that  would  help  them. 

Musical. 

During  the  evening  a  programme  of  vocal  and  instru- 
mental music  was  performed,  including  a  stirring 
Co-operative  song,  wdth  choiiis,  entitled  "  Hand  m 
Hand,"  the  soloist  being  Mr.  F.  H.  Smith. 

The  meeting  showed  its  loyalty  by  closing  the  pro- 
ceedings  witli    the   National   Anthem. 


Second  Day. 

Early  on  Thursday  evening.  April  icSth,  a  festival  tor 
members'  children  under  twelve  \'ears  of  age  was  given 
at  the  Corn  Exchange.  After  an  excellent  entertain- 
ment, refreshments  were  served  out,  and  the  joyous 
young  people  were  dismissed. 

The  Exchange  was  then  cleared  for  the  ball,  and 
dancing  was  indulged  in  until  an  early  hour  on  Fridiiy 
morning. 

So  ended  a  memorable  festival. 


l82  COMING    OF    AGE 

Supplementary  Notes. 

Mr.  Geo.  Hines  subsequently  published  in  the 
Co-operative  News  an  article  on  his  \asit  to  Coventry, 
which  he  entitled  "  In  the  City  of  the  Three  Tall  Spires." 

"  Having  been  to  Coventry,"  he  said,  "  and  I  do  not 
see  that  it  matters  much  whether  you  are  invited  to  go, 
or  whether  you  get  '  sent  '  there,  so  long  as  you  really 
go  there — and  having  got  out  of  the  place  in  safety  and 
comfort,  and  having  also  experienced  nothing  but 
kindness  at  the  hands  of  its  residents  whilst  I  was 
there,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  nothing  short  of  a  gross  slur 
upon  the  city  for  some  persons  to  be  holding  out  the 
threat  to  others  of  being  '  sent  to  Coventry  !  ' 

"  Why,  bless  me  !  the  place  is  neither  ugly  nor  dirty  ; 
and  the  men  are  an\?thing  but  hobgoblins,  whilst  the 
women  might  easily  be  taken  for  '  sweet  spirits  ' — and 
I  had  a  good  opportunity  of  judging  respecting  the  latter, 
for  wandering  and  gaping  about,  as  is  my  wont  at  times, 
I  found  myself  at  one  period  in  the  middle  of  a  group 
of  ladies  of  all  ages,  with  faces  brightened  with  smiles, 
and  breasts  gorgeous  with  pretty  flowers,  and  who  I 
found  constituted  the  local  branch  of  the  Women's  Guild. 
They  appeared  to  be  all  eager  and  anxious,  as  if  they  might 
wish  to  bear  out  John  Wesley's  description  of  the  zeal  of 
his  followers  :  '  The\^  are,'  he  said,  '  all  at  it,  and  always 
at  it.'  And  in  truth  those  ladies  had  their  work  to  do 
that  day  ;  for  to  attend  to  the  wants  of  about  i.ioo 
persons  in  the  way  of  tea  and  the  accessories  is  no  joke." 

After  some  general  observations  on  the  city,  which 
show  that  if  he  went  about  with  his  mouth  open,  he 
had  his  eyes  open  too,  ]\Ir.  Hines  continued  :  — 

"  The  total  population  of  the  city  at  the  present  time  is 
said  to  be  about  50,000.   Out  of  this  number  the  Coventry 


COMING    OF    AGE  183 

Perseverance  Co-operative  Society  numbers  955  members. 
Not  a  large  proportion,  some  of  our  friends  might  say, 
considering  that  the  society  is  now  twenty-one  years 
old,  but  a  little  enquiry  soon  enables  you  to  see  the 
wherefore  of  this.  The  society  had  some  severe  struggles 
in  its  early  years,  which  have  undoubtedly  checked 
its  progress  ;  but  it  has  steadily  grown  of  late  years, 
and  its  coming-of-age  celebration  on  April  i8th  and 
19th  had  been  so  hearty  and  thorough  that  one  can  but 
think  that  the  society  will  get  a  new  impetus.  It  cer- 
tainly ought  to,  for  the  balance  sheet  shows  the  features 
of  a  well-managed  and  consistent  co-operative  society  ; 
but  the  balance  sheet  itself  might  be  improved  by  the 
addition  of  a  trade  account,  whilst  the  additions  and 
depreciations  of  '  properties,'  '  fixed  stock,'  and  '  oven  ' 
accounts  could  all  be  shown  in  the  assets  of  the  capital 
account,  instead  of  having  as  now  three  separate 
accounts.  There  is  a  good  reserve  fund  of  £517,  being 
upwards  of  5^  per  cent,  upon  the  amount  of  share 
capital.  From  the  various  property  accounts  no  less 
than  £1,667  2s.  8d.  has  been  taken  off  for  depreciation, 
leaving  propert}'  which  originally  cost  £6,258  is.  8d. 
standing  at  onh'  £4,590  19s.  od.  in  the  balance  sheet. 
The  society  has  also  an  educational  fund  ;  it  issues  a 
quarterly  '  Record  '  ;  it  has  shares  in  the  Co-operative 
Wholesale  and  various  productive  societies  ;  it  belongs 
to  the  Co-operative  Union,  and  takes  an  interest  in 
propagandist  and  associative  work,  such  as  conferences, 
etc.  But  there  is  plenty  of  scope  for  our  kind  friends 
at  Coventr}^  and  I  cannot  do  better,  I  think,  than 
reiterate  my  well-meant  injunction,  and  so  much  the 
better  because  it  is  not  original,  '  Brethren,  be  ye  not 
weary  in  well-doing.'  " 


Chapter  XXVI, 


1888   TO    1892. 


1888. 


COMMENCING  in  1875,  the  society  had  invested 
the  considerable  sum  of  £656  in  the  Federal 
Corn  Mill  at  Leicester.  This  society  had  a 
chequered  career,  and  its  productions  had  not  always 
been  remarkable  for  excellency.  The  undertaking  now 
went  into  liquidation,  and  Coventry  decided  to  have 
no  part  in  any  attempt  at  reconstruction.  In  Jul}^ 
the  committee  informed  the  members  that  the  failure 
need  cause  them  no  anxiety.  In  the  result  the  invest- 
ment was  written  off,  and  an  adjustment  made  from  the 
reserve  fund. 

Mr.  Otto  Striedinger,  who  at  that  time  was  well  known 
from  being  one  of  H.M.  Inspectors  of  Factories,  presided 
at  the  annual  meeting  on  Tuesday,  October  31st,  in 
the  Assembly  Hall,  which,  after  tea,  was  crowded  to 
excess,  many,  indeed,  being  unable  to  gain  admission. 
The  chairman  said  that  Co-operation,  as  he  under- 
stood it,  was  the  outcome  of  that  spirit  of  self-assertion 
in  its  best  sense,  which,  however  it  might  frighten  some 
suspicious  or  ignorant  persons  or  monopolists,  he  looked 


1889 


upon  as  one  of  the  healthiest  and  wholesomest  signs  of 
the  age. 

Mr.  Duncan  Bailey,  of  Kidderminster,  and  the 
Rev.  W.  E.  Chadwick  also  delivered  interesting  addresses, 
and  during  the  evening  humorous  and  other  songs 
were  given. 

At  the  end  of  the  year  a  house-purchasing  department 
to  utilise  the  balance  at  the  bank  was  resolved  upon, 
and  new  rules  were  adopted  accordingly. 

Trade  still  showed  an  upward  tendency,  being  £645 
i8s.   od.  advance  (hi  that  of  the  previous  year. 

1889. 

Early  in  the  year  the  committee  gave  considerable 
attention  to  the  organising  of  the  house-purchasing 
department,  and  in  the  report  presented  to  the  April 
meeting  it  was  announced  that  the  rules  were  ready, 
and  applications  for  advances  w'ould  shortly  be  received. 
An  explanation  of  the  scheme  was  published  in  the 
Record,  in  which  there  was  a  disavowal  of  opposition 
to  building  societies,  which  were  commendable  institu- 
tions. It  was  in  part  an  economical  arrangement,  by 
using  capital  that  was  idle,  and  partially  also  a  beneticial 
arrangement  for  "  Perseverance  "  members.  "  You 
may  depend  upon  it,"  the  explanation  continued. 
"  that  nothing  adds  so  much  to  the  prestige  of  a  co- 
operative society  in  the  minds  of  outsiders  as  good 
tangible  assets — good  business  premises  in  which  the 
society  carries  on  its  trade,  and  dweUing-houses  in  well- 
selected  situations,  and  tenanted  by  good  co-operators 
who  are  fully  alive  to  the  fact  that  every  pound's  worth 
of  goods  thev  purchase  at  the  store  brings  them  a  frw 


i86  1890 

bricks  nearer  to  becoming  the  owner  of  the  house  in 
which  they  hve,  and  gives  a  stabiUty  to  a  society  which 
nothing  else  can  so  well  convey."  In  conclusion  the 
committee  said  :  "  We  earnestly  hope  that  the  scheme 
now  started  may  be  the  means  of  enabling  many  of 
our  members  to  become  their  own  landlords,  and  that 
they  will  be  able  to  bless  the  day  they  became  co- 
operators." 

Under  the  rules  the  money  available  for  use  in  building 
required  to  be  voted  by  the  society  from  time  to  time, 
and  at  the  April  meeting  the  sum  of  £2,000  was  placed 
at  the  committee's  disposal.  In  July  it  was  announced 
that  everything  was  in  working  order,  and  that  some 
advances  had  already  been  made. 

In  asking  for  the  use  of  the  first  ;£2,ooo  the  committee 
had  stated  that  they  had  come  to  the  conclusion  to 
limit  the  mortgages — one  member  one  house,  and  not 
more  than  :£250. 

Branch  store  matters  again  came  up  in  July,  when 
it  was  resolved  to  purchase  a  house  and  shop  "  at  the 
bottom  end  of  Colchester  Street  " — i.e.  New  Brook 
Street— a  neighbourhood  that  was  growing  rapidly. 

The  number  of  members  in  December  was  reported 
to  be  1,087,  ^^^  the  total  trade  for  the  year  £19,288 
3s.  iid. 

1890. 

To  promote  a  good  feeling  among  the  employees  of 
the  society  certain  social  entertainments  had  been 
given,  but  apparently  for  the  first  time  mention  is  made 
in  the  minutes  for  Januar^^  22nd  that  the  "  annual 
supper"  to  the  employees  would  be  given  on  a  certain 
Wednesday  evening. 


1891-92  187 

In  August  an  additional  purchase  of  property  was 
decided  upon,  viz.,  34,  Bishop  Street,  ha\dng  a  frontage 
of  29  feet,  and  containing  an  area  of  about  2,198  square 
yards,  part  being  occupied  ah-eady  by  the  society  for 
stabhng  six  horses. 

At  the  December  meeting  it  was  reported  that  the 
membership  had  reached  1,200. 

The  totahty  of  sales  for  the  year  was  £22,254  3^-  od., 
exceeding  the  highest  previously  recorded  by  nearly 
£3,000. 

1891. 

Close  attention  to  business  management  seems  to 
have  been  the  characteristic  of  this  year. 

The  committee  had  desired  to  build  over  the  River 
Sherboume,  but  the  Corporation  appeared  to  be  jealous 
of  this  proud  stream,  for  the  General  Works  Committee 
withheld  consent. 

Use  of  the  capital  funds  seemed  to  be  growing,  and 
the  committee  in  September  obtained  permission  to 
deal  with  a  further  sum  of  £3,000. 

Negotiations  ha\dng  been  completed,  it  was  in 
December  resolved  to  purchase  67-6S,  Spon  Street, 
for  a  branch  store,  and  also  a  plot  of  land  at  the  lower 
end  of  Earlsdon  Street  as  the  site  of  a  new  store  building. 

The  business  for  the  year  showed  a  further  increase 
of  £5,877  I2S.  9d.,  the  total  being  £25,031  15s.  9d., 
and  the  number  of  members  being  upwards  of  1,400. 

1892. 

Coventr}^  in  1892  suffered  various  distractions — -the 
Vicar  Rate  War  in  St.  Michael's  parish,  a  Parliamentary 
Election,    a   Lady  Godiva   procession,    and   the   much- 


i88  1892 

trumpeted  opening  of  a  new  Company  shop  in  the 
grocery  and  provision  business. 

Yet  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Societ}^ 
continued  in  its  upward  path.  The  committee  had  for 
some  time  desired  to  extend  the  central  premises,  and 
at  length  the  opportunity  came. 

In  the  first  weeks  of  March  an  advertisement  was 
published  in  the  local  newspapers,  of  which  the  following 
was,  to  the  committee,  the  essential  portion  : — 

COVENTRY. 


TO      BREWERS,       SPIRIT      MERCHANTS, 

CATERERS    FOR    PUBLIC    AMUSEMENTS, 

AND    OTHERS. 

\ERV  IMPORTANT  AND  CENTRALLY- 
SITUATED  FREEHOLD  LICENSED 
PROPERTIES  K  N  O  \\'  X  A  S  I  H  E 
BRITANNIA  VAULTS  AND  MUSIC 
SALOON,  AND  THE  THEATRE  ROYAL 
OR     EMPIRE     PALACE     OF     VARIETIES. 


TO    BE    SOLD    BY    AUCTION, 

BY 

c;eokge  loveitt  and  son, 

At  their  AIART,  Exchange  Buildings,  Co\entr\-, 
on  TUESDAY".  ^L\RCH  29th.  1892.  at  Six 
o'clock  p.m.,  prompt  time,  subject  to  conditions 
incorporritjng  the  common  form  conditions  ol 
the  Birmingham  Law  Societ\-. 

LOT  1 .  The  important  centrall\ -situated 
Freehold  Wine  and  Spirit  \'aults,  Tavern, 
and  Music  Hall,  known  as  the  "  BRITANNIA," 
or  "  City  Palace  of  Varieties,"  No.  38,  Fleet 
Street,  near  the  centre  of  the  City,  let  on  lease 
expiring  25th  ]\Iarch  instant,  at  a  rental  of  ;^140 
per  annum.  The  premises  are  comparatively 
newly  built,  have  a  handsome  and  imposing 
Grecian  elevation,  and  comprise  on  the  ground 
floor  a  spacious  Public  Bar  and  Concert  Room 


THE    DRAPERY    DEPARTMENT. 
(OLD    BRITANNIA    MUSIC    HALL.) 


igi 


about  43  feet  by  35  feet  (inclusive  of  lobby 
entrance  and  orchestra)  and  18  feet  high,  with 
commodious  gallery  hax-ing  Bar  fitted  therein  ; 
stage  29  feet  by  14  feet  (including  dressing 
compartments)  with  16  feet  opening,  and  living- 
room  and  cellar  under  same  ;  on  the  first  floor 
(reached  by  a  separate  staircase  from  West 
Orchard;  lofty  sitting  and  bedrooms,  each  about 
20  feet  by  IS  feet,  two  other  bedrooms,  break- 
fast room,  kitchen,  larder,  and  w.c.  ;  on  the 
second  floor — -two  good  bedrooms  ;  and  in  the 
basement,  which  has  very  thick  walls,  prin- 
cipally of  stone,  exceptionally  large  dry  ale  and 
spirit  cellars  and  kitchen. 

The  property  has  a  frontage  to  Fleet  Street 
of  36  feet  8  inches,  to  West  Orchard  of  11  feet 
7  inches,  and  contains  280  square  yards  or 
thereabouts. 

Immediate   possession    can    be   arranged. 


OT     2. — The    Theatre     Royal     or     Empire 
/      Palace  of  Varieties. 


An  idea  of  the  "  handsome  and  imposing  Grecian 
elevation  "  will  be  gathered  from  the  accompanying 
illustration. 

That  the  property  was  very  desirable  from  the  society's 
point  of  view  needed  no  argument  :  it  was  practically 
next  door,  and  fronted  to  an  important  main  thorough- 
fare— part  of  the  "  high  "  street  from  London  to 
Holyhead.  The  committee  therefore  determined  upon 
a  purchase  if  it  were  possible.  At  the  sale  the  bidding 
was  ver\'  slow,  and  when  it  reached  £1,200  the  property, 
which  had  cost  the  owTier  £3. 500,  was  knocked  dowii  to 
Mr.  J.  T.  Lower,  president,  for  and  on  behalf  of  the 
society. 

The  "  Britannia  "  had  been  well  known  in  tht-  city 
for   some    years,    and    in    it    many   popular   music-hall 


192  1892 

artistes  had  appeared,  and  also  the  notorious  Tichborne 
claimant,  Arthur  Orton,  when  his  Coventry  sympathisers 
foregathered  to  meet  him  and  admire  his  physical 
amplitude. 

To  the  purchase  price  of  £1,200  there  was  to  be  added 
the  sum  of  £190  for  fixtures  taken  at  a  valuation — making 
altogether  £1,390.  From  a  merely  business  point  of 
view  the  transaction  was  a  good  one  ;  and  that  the 
"  Brit."  would  prove  a  valuable  addition  to  the  society's 
properties,  obtained  at  a  moderate  cost,  was  quite 
evident.     But  what  would  the  members  say  ? 

Any  fears  on  this  ground  were  soon  dispelled,  for 
when  the  members  assembled  in  special  meeting  on 
x-\pril  19th,  they  unanimously  expressed  their  approval 
of  the  action  taken  by  the  committee,  and  also  gave 
authority  for  the  spending  of  whatever  money  might 
be  requisite  to  make  the  premises  suitable  for  the 
purposes  of  the  society. 

And  what  was  to  be  done  with  the  property  ?  The 
committee  soon  made  up  their  minds.  Actuated  by 
great  public  spirit  they  decided  to  have  no  connection 
with  the  liquor  traffic  ;  they  refused  an  offer  of  £300 
by  a  brewery  company  for  the  transfer  of  the  license, 
and  allowed  it.  to  lapse  without  compensation.  The 
premises  were  soon  converted  into  a  central  drapery 
and  boot  and  shoe  store. 

Apart  from  the  social  gain  to  the  community  b}' 
the  extinction  of  a  fully-licensed  public  house,  the 
altered  premises  constituted  a  distinct  architectural 
advancement  over  any  of  the  existing  co-operator^' 
buildings;  and  very  soon  "Britannia"  was  ruling 
over  activities  that  were  making  for  the  improvement 


1 


189: 


193 


of   those   who   passed    beneath   her   trident,   as   she   is 
to  this  day. 

Previous  to  the  alterations  being  effected,  however, 
a  concert,  arranged  by  Mr.  A.  Barnett,  was  given  in 
the  Music  Hall.  This  took  place  on  Monday  evening. 
May  9th,  and  the  following  was  the 

PROGRAMME. 

Glee       .  .  .  .  .  .     "  Oh,  who  will  o'er  the  downs  so  free  ?  " 

Song      .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  ,        "  Fond  heart,  farewell  " 

Mr.  G.  A.  Maley. 
Song      .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       "  Ora  pro  nobis  " 

Mrs.  Barnett. 
Humorous  Song  .  .  "He  hadn't  been  used  to  luxurie<=  " 

(Encore  :    "I  forget.") 
Mr.  J.  R.  Stilwell 

Whistling  Solo  Mr.  Webb 

Song      ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..    "  My  Pretty  Jane" 

Mr.  D.  Sidwell. 
Duet      .  .  .  .  .  .  .  ,  .  .  .  ,  ,  ,    "  Xo,  sir  I  " 

(Encore  :    "  Money  Matters.") 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnett. 

Ventriloquial  Entertainment  .  .  .  .  Mr.  F.  Lloyd 

Glee       .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  '■  By  Celia's  Arbour  " 

Song '•  Tit  for  Tat  " 

Mrs.   Barnett. 
Viohn  Solo        ..  ,.  ..  ..  ..     "  Bohemian  Girl  " 

Mr.  W.  Russell. 
Song      .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       "  The  Whisthng  Coon  " 

Mr.   J.   R.   Stilwell. 
Song      .  .  .  .  .  ,  .  .  .  .  "In  happy  moments  " 

.Mr.   G.   A.   Maley. 
Duet      ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..      "  Brotherly  love  " 

Messrs.  D.  and   T   S.   Sidwell. 


There  was  a  crowded  attendance,  and  the  programme 
being  well  sustained,  the  concert  proved  a  success, 

H 


194  1892 

During  the  evening,  Mr.  J.  T.  Lower  (president)  gave 
a  short  statement  of  the  growth  of  the  society,  which 
had  now  been  estabUshed  twenty-five  years.  Its 
original  membership  was  48,  with  a  capital  of  £64. 
The  proceeds  of  the  first  day's  business  amounted  to 
8s.  9jd.,  and  the  takings  for  the  first  year  to  £307 
los.  lod.  In  their  anniversary  week  of  this  year  the 
daily  average  takings  amounted  to  £115 — (applause)^ 
whilst  the  total  income  for  the  year  was  £30,194  19s. 
9jd.  The  membership  had  increased  to  1,524,  and  the 
capital  shown  on  the  last  balance  sheet  amounted  to 
£15,483  7s.  9d.  (Applause.)  Mr.  Lower  then  spoke  of 
the  advantages  of  Co-operation,  and  wished  success 
to  the  proposed  extension  of  the  society's  business. 
(Applause.) 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  November,  in  the  society's 
Assembly  Room,  there  was  again  a  crowded  attendance. 

The  President  congratulated  the  members  on  the 
great  increase  made  during  the  last  year,  in  members, 
sales,  and  capital.  Progress  had  been  so  rapid  as  to 
leave  little  to  be  desired,  he  said.  One  of  the  greatest 
advances  was  the  opening  of  branch  stores  ;  and  it  had 
remained  for  the  co-operators  of  Coventry  to  turn  a 
music  hall  and  public  house  into  a  Palace  of  Thrift. 
(Applause.) 

The  secretary's  report  showed  that  the  shop  in  Spon 
Street  was  doing  a  trade  of  £50  a  week.  The  Britannia 
Music  Hall  had  been  altered  to  make  it  suitable  for  their 
drapery  and  boot  trade.  At  the  previous  Christmas 
the  stores  in  Gosford  Street  moved  to  larger  and  more 
convenient  premises.  There  had  been  paid  in  interest 
and  bonus  to  members  during  the  year  £3,309  8s.  lod., 


1892  195 

and  under  the  house-purchasing  rules  they  had  advanced 
to  members  £4,278  3s.  2d.,  completing  the  £6,000 
authorised  for  the  purpose,  and  it  was  felt  desirable  not 
to  apply  for  more  at  present. 

Councillor  \V.  J.  Wormell  addressed  the  meeting,  as 
did  also  Mr.  W.  Jones,  and  a  concert  was  given. 

During  the  whole  year  unremitting  attention  con- 
tinued to  be  given  to  business  management,  while  the 
members  on  more  than  one  occasion  acted  in  a  spirit 
of  generosity.  The  sum  of  two  guineas  was  subscribed 
for  the  benefit  of  the  West  Greenwich  Society,  which 
had  suffered  a  loss  of  £2,000  by  the  bursting  of  a  water 
main  ;  and  arising  from  the  accounts  for  the  fourth 
quarter  was  a  grant  of  £10  towards  the  relief  of  local 
distress. 

The  total  trade  for  the  year  rose  to  £34,505  19s.  2d., 
and  the  dividend  to  2s.  in  the  pound  ;  the  number  of 
members  on  the  books  being  upwards  of  1,700. 


Chapter  XXVII, 

1893    TO    1898. 


1893. 

IN  addition  to  the  £10  granted  to  the  reUef  of  local 
distress,  as  mentioned  in  the  last  chapter — which 
was  actually  voted  at  the  meeting  in  January — 
substantial  amounts  were  given  to  several  relief  funds 
in  other  parts  of  the  country  ;  the  annual  subscription 
to  the  Coventry  and  Warwickshire  Hospital  was  in- 
creased to  £5  5s.  od.,  and  in  October  £20  was  voted 
for  equal  division  among  the  four  philanthropic  societies 
in  Coventry. 

That  business  was  moving  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
in  the  autumn  power  was  given  to  the  committee  to 
proceed  with  the  scheme  of  building  a  house  and  store 
at  Earlsdon,  in  accordance  with  a  general  resolution 
passed  two   years  previously. 

At  the  quarterly  meeting  in  October  suitable  references 
were  made  by  the  president  and  Mr.  Wm.  Jones  to  the 
recent  sudden  death  of  Mr.  Joseph  Hepworth,  the  first 
president  of  the  society. 

The  turnover  for  the  year  advanced  to  £36,216  i8s. 
lod.,  ha\dng  more  than  doubled  itself  in  five  years, 
besides    a    business    ol    about    £1,000    through    various 


1893  197 

tradesmen  on  commission,  and  tht-  number  of  members 
was  in  its  twentieth  hundred,  with  a  dividend  for  the 
final  quarter  of  2s.  in  the  pound. 

The  proceedings  at  the  customary  annual  meeting 
on  November  13th  led  to  a  rather  strong  newspaper 
controversy,  an  anonymous  writer  learnedly  criticised 
the  accounts,  and  other  correspondents  took  up  the 
anti-Co-operative  tale.  The  replies  were  not  wanting 
in  \4gour  and  directness.  The  president  of  the  Coventrv 
Grocers'  Association  could  not  but  \ield  to  the  tempta- 
tion to  enter  the  fray.  "  What  is  Co-operation  ?  " 
he  grandiloquently  asked — and  did  not  wait  for  an 
answer.  He  proceeded  to  give  his  owti  definition,  as 
follows  : — "  In  theory,  the  greatest  good  for  the  greatest 
number  ;  in  practice  a  cold-blooded  war  of  extermina- 
tion of  all  private  traders."  And  he  added  the  following 
declaration,  which  was  meant  to  be  very  crushing  : 
"  An  average  go-ahead  trader  can  at  all  times  and  under 
all  circumstances  snap  his  fingers  at  the  '  Co.'  "  It  is 
well,  sometimes,  to  see  ourselves  as  other  people  try  to 
make  believe  they  see  us,  and  co-operators  who  knew 
the  facts  enjoyed  the  fun.  The  controversy  served  to 
enhghten  the  public,  and  in  the  course  of  a  short  time 
the  society-  went  up  by  leaps  and  bounds.  In  fact, 
during  the  controversy  itself  the  sales  increased  by  more 
than  £130  a  week  as  compared  wath  those  of  the  previous 
year  ! 

At  this  period  it  was  customary  for  district  associations 
to  present  reports  to  Congress  annually  on  the  work  in 
their  respective  areas,  and  to  the  Co-operative  Congress 
in  May,  1894,  the  Coventry  District  Association  sent  a 
report,  from  which  the  following  passages  are  taken  : — 


198  i893 

"  The  Coventry  Perseverance  Societ}^  has  rapidl}^ 
increased  in  numbers  and  trade,  so  much  so  that  it  has 
been  openly  attacked  in  the  public  press  by  several  of 
the  leading  traders  of  the  city,  who  have  become  jealous 
of  the  progress  made  by  the  society  ;  and  the  Coventry 
and  District  Grocers'  Association  also  at  their  monthly 
meetings  have  been  discussing  the  question,  chiefly  upon 
the  question  of  income  tax,  but  owing  to  the  spirited 
and  energetic  replies  written  by  the  president  and  secre- 
tary of  the  Coventry  society  and  others,  they  have 
ceased  firing,  and  have  retreated  from  the  position  with 
very  doubtful  honours. 

"It  is  well  to  place  these  instances  on  record  when 
they  occur,  so  that  the  members  of  other  societies  may 
see  the  importance  of  being  thoroughly  united,  especially 
committees,  so  that  whenever  an  enemy  appears  they 
may  be  able  to  show  a  bold  and  united  front. 

"  The  Coventry  educational  department  also  have 
been  well  to  the  front  during  the  year,  having  started 
a  choral  class  under  the  best  master  to  be  obtained,  and 
have  just  closed  the  season  with  a  highly  successful 
concert  in  the  Corn  Exchange,  also  ambulance  classes 
both  for  men  and  women,  and  nursing  classes  for  the 
latter.  They  have  also  estabhshed  weekly  pleasant 
social  evenings  for  men,  at  which  various  subjects  are 
discussed,  and  the  meetings  enlivened  with  songs  ; 
and  trade  unionists  especially,  as  well  as  all  others, 
have  been  invited  to  attend,  and  the  new  departure  has 
been  fairly  successful.  A  course  of  lectures  also,  by 
Mr.  J.  A.  Hobson,  on  the  '  Making  of  Wealth,'  has  been 
given,  which  could  scarcely  have  been  done  but  for  the 
assistance  given  by  the  society. 


i894  199 

"  The  Women's  Guilds  of  both  Coventry  and  Rugby 
have  been  well  to  the  front  during  the  year,  and  have 
done  very  useful  and  highly  appreciated  work  on  behalf 
of  the  movement." 

1894. 

Education  has  ever  been  a  strong  point  with  co- 
operators,  and  the  work  of  the  society  in  that  regard 
has  been  notable.  Absolute  unanimity  on  this  or  any 
other  point  could  scarcely  be  expected  in  a  membership 
of  eighteen  hundred,  and  there  were  some  members 
who  doubted  the  expediency  of  maintaining  a  rule 
that  so  much  as  2 J  per  cent,  of  the  net  profits  should 
be  set  aside  for  educational  purposes.  Seeing,  therefore, 
that  a  special  meeting  was  to  be  held  on  January  23rd 
to  make  some  alterations  to  the  rules,  notice  was  given 
to  move  that  the  amount  be  reduced  by  one-half,  that 
is,  to  ij  per  cent,  of  the  net  profits.  The  subject  was 
fully  discussed,  but  the  case  for  the  higher  amount  was 
ably  stated  by  Mr.  W.  Jones  and  Mr.  Jas.  Clay,  on  behalf 
of  the  educational  committee,  and  the  motion  was 
decisively  rejected. 

From  its  first  days  the  society  had  paid  5  per  cent, 
interest  on  capital,  but  money  became  cheaper,  and 
this  and  other  circumstances  brought  about  a  change. 
At  the  January  meeting  a  rule  was  adopted  providing 
for  the  pa}Tnent  of  5  per  cent,  on  amounts  up  to  £50, 
and  4  per  cent,  on  all  higher  amounts. 

Trade  generally  suffered  great  depression,  but  for- 
tunately for  purchasers  prices  ruled  low,  especially  for 
bread  and  flour.  These  conditions  accounted  for  the 
falling  off  in  receipts  of  £471  6s.  2d.,  although  quantities 


200  1895 

were  greater.  A  dividend  of  2s.  in  the  pound  was 
maintained  throughout  the  year,  notwithstanding  extra 
depreciation  and  additional  contributions  to  charitable 
purposes. 

1895. 

In  their  report  to  the  quarterly  meeting  in  January 
the  committee  stated  that  despite  the  "  fearful 
depression  "  the  Society's  trade  had,  on  the  whole, 
vastly  improved,  that  the  society  was  increasing  in 
usefulness  and  prosperity,  and  was  in  a  sound  and  satis- 
factory condition.  The  number  of  members  had  now 
turned  two  thousand.  In  asking  for  additional  support 
by  an  improvement  in  the  average  rate  of  purchase 
per  member,  the  committee  gave  the  following  warning  : 
"  Do  not  be  led  away  by  the  puffing  handbills  and 
so-called  '  presents,'  which  are  only  a  species  of  trap  to 
catch  the  unwary.  We  believe  we  may  trust  you  not  to 
thoughtlessly  leave  your  own  stocks  on  the  shelves  of  the 
stores,  while  you  join  in  the  rush  for  so-called  '  bargains  ' 
of  speculative  traders  in  this  period  of  excessive  and 
unhealthy  competition." 

Concluding  their  report,  the  committee  said  :  "  Our 
members  may  feel  proud  of  the  society  as  a  commercial 
concern  when  we  consider  the  unsettled  state  of  trade 
that  has  existed  so  long.  Hitherto  we,  as  a  society, 
have  come  out  of  the  commercial  struggle  remarkably 
well,  and  it  should  be  noticed  by  every  one  of  our  mem- 
bers, but  especially  by  the  weak  co-operator,  to  whom 
it  should  give  more  confidence  in  our  movement  ;  for  a 
society  that  can  hold  its  own  (and  this  we  have  done) 
in  the  battles  and  storms  of  commercial  life,  so  to  speak. 


1896  201 

gives  abundant  proof  of  its  soundness  and  stability. 
The  success  that  has  been  achieved  by  Co-operation, 
and  which  has  been  such  a  friend  in  time  of  need, 
should  help  us  all  to  be  more  loyal  in  the  future  than  we 
have  been  in  the  past." 

Another  sum  of  £20  was  given  to  the  four  philanthropic 
societies  of  the  town. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  year  elapsed  \vithout 
incident  of  a  special  character,  although  it  may  be 
noted  that  several  charitable  contributions  were  voted, 
including  a  donation  of  two  guineas  to  the  National 
Lifeboat  Institution. 

At  the  October  meeting  authority  was  given  to  the 
committee  to  lend  a  further  sum  of  £2,000  to  members 
under  the  house-purchasing  rules  ;  and  some  mis- 
apprehension was  dispelled  by  the  president  stating 
that  the  contractor  for  the  new  stores  at  Earlsdon 
was  being  paid  the  union  rate  of  wages  by  the 
society. 

The  membership  still  increased,  and  the  turnover  for 
the  year  advanced  by  £13,208  over  the  previous  year, 
totalhng  £49,953  I2s.  8d. 


The  year's  proceedings  practically  opened  with  another 
contribution  of  £20  to  the  local  philanthropic  societies  ; 
and,  in  all,  the  society  contributed  to  charitable  purposes 
during  the  year  a  sum  of  £30. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  year  special  business  occupied 
a  good  deal  of  attention,  the  committee  devoting  much 
time  and  thought  to  bringing  important  schemes  to  a 
head.     As  a  result  it  was  resolved  : — 


202  1897 

1.  To  purchase  a  piece  of  land  in  Springfield  Road, 
Five  Ways,  and  to  erect  thereon  a  branch  store 
and  eleven  houses  to  sell  to  members.  Total 
estimated  cost,  £3,500. 

2.  To  purchase  Nos.  23  and  24,  Victoria  Street, 
Hill  Fields,  to  provide  for  the  growing  trade. 
No.  23  being  alread}^  in  the  society's  occupation. 
Authorised  expenditure,  £600. 

3.  To  invest  £1,000  in  Co-operative  production 
societies. 

The  sales  for  the  year  advanced  to  £57,999  os.  Od., 
having  doubled  themselves  in  five  years  ;  the  number 
of  members  increased  to  3,011,  the  reserve  amounted 
to  upwards  of  £2,000,  and  the  average  dividend  was 
2s.  lod. 

1897. 

The  following  paragraph  from  the  report  of  the 
Coventry  District  Association  presented  to  the  Co- 
operative Congress  at  Perth  fairly  well  describes  the 
position  in  the  spring  of  this  year,  including  as  it  does 
certain  statistics  for  the  April  quarter  : — 

"  The  Coventry  Perseverance  Society  is  making  very 
rapid  progress,  so  much  so  that  the  committee  have  all 
their  work  cut  out  to  keep  pace  with  its  growth,  the 
sales  for  the  quarter  just  ended  being  over  £19,100,  or 
upwards  of  £6,000  more  than  in  the  corresponding 
quarter  of  last  year.  In  our  last  report  v/e  mentioned 
the  bu\4ng  of  one  of  the  stores  (that  had  previously 
been  rented)  for  the  purpose  of  extension  and  improve- 
ment ;  the  necessary  alterations  are  now  nearly  complete 
and  will  be  a  vast  improvement.      A  piece  of  land  in 


1897  203 

Five  Ways,  purchased  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  new 
branch  store,  has  an  imposing  comer  store  erected  upon 
it,  and  eleven  cottages  adjoining,  all  being  very  nearly 
completed,  and  the  cottages  mostly  sold  to  our  members 
under  the  house-purchasing  department.  The  society 
is  also  making  arrangements  for  opening  a  new  branch 
at  Wolston,  a  populous  \dllage  five  miles  away,  and 
where  at  one  time  a  fairly  flourishing  society  existed. 
The  educational  committee  have  been  doing  good  work, 
as  usual,  in  classes  and  in  other  ways,  and  have  just 
concluded  the  season's  choral  classes  with  a  performance 
in  the  Corn  Exchange  of  Haydn's  '  Seasons,'  which  was 
in  every  way  an  immense  success.  A  determined  effort 
was  made  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  year  by  the  general 
and  educational  committees  combined  to  establish  a 
productive  society  for  the  manufacture  of  cycles.  Many 
meetings  were  held  for  the  purpose,  and  visits  paid  by 
deputation  to  the  WTiolesale  at  Manchester,  and  to 
other  places,  but  it  was  ultimately  found  that  sufficient 
capital  would  not  be  forthcoming  to  ensure  its  permanent 
success,  and  so  it  was  \\ath  very  great  reluctance 
abandoned  for  the  present.  We  hope  the  day,  however, 
is  not  far  distant  when  another  attempt  will  be  made, 
and,  we  hope,  successfully." 

The  special  charitable  donations  during  the  year 
included  £2  2s.  od.  to  the  Birmingham  Orthopaedic 
and  Spinal  Hospital,  £20  to  the  India  Distress  Fund, 
and  £10  to  the  philanthropic  societies. 

The  number  of  members  continued  to  increase  rapidly, 
as  many  as  235  being  admitted  at  one  meeting,  and 
totalling  to  nearly  4,000  at  the  end  of  December  ;  the 
sales    amounted    to    /82,85o  i8s.  id.— an    increase    of 


204  1898 

£24,851  lys.  yd.   over   those   of   the   preceding   year — 
and  for  several  quarters  a  dividend  was  paid  of  3s.  in 

the  pound  on  members'  purchases. 


Woman's  usefulness  in  the  Co-operative  movement 
was  further  acknowledged  in  October  by  the  enlarge- 
ment from  five  members  to  seven  of  the  educational 
committee,  that  two  women  might  be  included  in  its 
constitution,  the  elected  being  ^liss  Alice  Kirby  and 
Mrs.   Shuffiebotham. 

Additional  subscriptions  were  approved  of  as  follows  : 
To  the  Kenilworth  Convalescent  Home,  1 2  2s.  ;  to  the 
Coventry  Ragged  Schools,  £2  2s.  ;  and  to  the  Coventry 
Fire  Brigade,  £i  is.  The  total  amount  devoted  to 
charitable  purposes  during  the  year  was  £42. 

On  November  29th  the  society  confirmed  the  purchase 
for  £1,425  of  the  property  known  as  Britannia  Buildings 
—  premises  on  the  east  side  of  West  Orchard,  and  at 
the  rear  of  the  Fleet  Street  drapery  store.  AU  that 
was  now  needed  to  complete  the  set  of  buildings  was  the 
corner  block  (West  Orchard  and  Fleet  Street). 

At  the  same  meeting  it  was  decided  to  reduce  the 
interest  on  withdrawable  share  capital  to  4  per  cent. 

During  the  year  the  number  of  members  rose  to  4,435, 
and  the  trade  done  to  £88,132,  the  net  profit  being 
£18,168.  The  average  dividend  was  2s.  yd.  in  the 
pound  on  members'  purchases. 


Chapter  XXVIII. 


1898 
{continued) . 

Our  Great  Xew  Bakery. 

IX  Cox  Street,  by  the  City  Flour  Mills,  the  society, 
through  the  committee,  had  purchased  a  large 
plot  of  land  for  about  /i,ooo. 
Xow  the  demand  for  "  Co-operative  bread  "  had 
greatly  increased,  and  was  still  increasing  beyond  the 
means  of  production.  It  was  therefore  resolved  to 
build  on  the  Cox  Street  site  a  new  and  commodious 
bread-baking  establishment,  designed  for  the  purpose, 
and  equipped  with  the  most  hygienic  and  up-to-date 
machinery  and  appliances — to  go  a  longer  step  forward 
than  was  possible  in  West  Orchard.  :\Iessrs.  G.  and  I. 
Steane,  architects,  of  Coventry,  were  entrusted  with  the 
preparation  of  plans,  and  Mr.  C.  Gray  Hill,  of  Coventry, 
was  given  the  contract.  Tall  and  fair  the  building  rose — 
in  red  brick  and  terra  cotta,  the  total  expenditure 
involved  being  about  £6,000.  This  was  an  impudent 
venture,  as  some  thought,  for  a  society  of  working  men 
co-operators.  It  proved  to  be  the  biggest  bakehouse 
in  the  district.      How  it  contrasted  with  the  original 


206  NEW    BAKERY,    1898 

£30  bakery  in  Bishop  Street  !  It  was  the  more  remark- 
able as  the  society  was  just  buying  the  Britannia 
Buildings.     (See  Chapters  XXVII  and  XXIX.) 

The  opening  of  the  new  bakery  was  fixed  for  Tuesday, 
November  22nd,  i8g8,  and  it  was  a  two-fold  function  ; 
inspection  of  the  buildings  with  tea  on  the  premises, 
public  meeting  with  concert  in  the  Com  Exchange. 

A  large  crowd  of  people  visited  the  bakery  in  the 
afternoon,  and  if  any  had  been  fortunate  enough  to 
secure  the  services  of  an  "  intelligent  guide  "  they  might 
have  listened  to  a  description  somewhat  as  follows  : — 

"  You  see,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  committee  have 
not  used  the  whole  of  the  land  at  their  disposal,  but 
have  reserved  some  for  possible  extensions  even  to  this 
great  structure. 

"  The  building  is  three  storeys  high,  and  you  will 
notice  it  has  a  fine  elevation. 

"  The  ground  floor  consists  of  the  bakery,  which  is 
65  feet  long  by  29  feet  wide,  and  14  feet  high. 

"  We  will  go  inside  if  you  please.  Here,  you  will 
notice,  there  are  nine  of  Messrs.  Cox's  patent  heat-trap 
ovens.  The  face  of  this  room  and  the  ovens  is  covered 
with  white  glazed  bricks.  This  machine  is  what  is 
called  a  "  dough  divider  "  ;  it  is  by  Messrs.  Melvin  and 
Co.,  and  it  cuts  48  two-lb.  loaves  at  one  operation, 
and  they  are  weighed  automatically.  You  will  perceive 
how  great  an  advance  this  is  over  the  old  system  of 
cutting  and  weighing  by  hand.  You  may  say  the 
committee  are  always  desirous  of  effecting  improve- 
ments— that  is,  real  improvements — whenever  possible. 
Adjoining  is  a  cooling  room  for  bread  ;  then  there  is  a 
mess  room  for  the  bakers,  and  an  office. 


THE    BAKEEY 


NEW    BAKERY,    189S  209 

"  Will  you  please  come  upstairs  ?  Here,  on  the  first 
floor,  you  see  the  main  room  is  of  the  same  size  as  the 
bakehouse  ;  it  is  ii  feet  high,  and  contains  a  three- 
sack  "Adair"  dough -making  machine,  fed  from  a 
Gardener's  patent  flour  sifter.  Over  the  mess-room 
is  an  engine-room,  containing  a  6-h.p.  Crossley's  gas 
engine  ;  and  there  is  also  a  room  over  the  bread- 
coohng  room. 

"  Up  still  higher,  please  I  Here  we  find  the  top  room 
is  of  the  same  size  as  the  other  two  below.  This  wall  be 
the  principal  flour  room.  It  contains  hoppers  through 
which  the  flour  will  pass  to  the  sifter  before  going  into 
the  kneader.  You  \vill  notice  how  strongly  built  the 
baker}'  is.  That  is  necessary,  because  there  will  be 
storage  for  about  3,000  sacks  of  flour. 

"  Now,  we  will  descend,  if  you  please,  and  go  outside. 
At  the  rear  of  the  buildings  you  will  see  there  is  a  good 
yard,  with  stabling  for  nine  horses  and  a  shed  for  vans. 

"  Yes  ;  the  firing  of  the  whole  of  the  ovens  will  be 
done  from  the  yard,  so  that  the  bakehouse  will  be  kept 
entirely  free  from  dirt.  In  short,  all  the  considerations 
to  which  attention  was  given  in  building  the  bakery  in 
West  Orchard  were  borne  in  mind  here  ;  but  the  whole 
of  this  new  bakery  is  planned  on  a  larger  scale,  and  every- 
thing is  of  the  most  advanced  type. 

"  These  new  premises  are  capable  of  dealing  with  more 
than  double  the  quantity  of  flour  that  is  baked  in  the 
old  buildings  ;  and  the  committee  only  want  all  your 
custom  now  to  make  the  venture  a  complete  success. 
Thank  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  for  your  polite 
attention.  Good  afternoon  !  Much  obliged,  sir.  I'm 
sure.     Next  party,  please  !  " 


210  PUBLIC  MEETING,  I898 

Tea  was  announced  to  be  on  the  tables  at  5  o'clock, 
and  it  was  once  more  evidenced  that  co-operators  are 
demonstrators  of  the  first  class. 

Public  Meeting. 

In  the  evening  the  Corn  Exchange  was  crowded  to 
excess  for  the  meeting  and  concert.  Mr.  J.  T.  Lower, 
president  of  the  society,  occupied  the  chair. 

The  annual  report  of  the  committee  stated  that  there 
was  again  an  increase  in  both  the  trade  and  the  member- 
ship of  the  society.  The  increase  in  membership  was 
688 — the  number  on  the  books  being  4,362.  The  sales 
for  the  year  were  £88,621,  showing  an  increase  of 
£12,082  over  the  previous  year.  The  profits,  after  paying 
all  expenses  and  interest  on  capital,  with  £141  5s.  4d. 
brought  forward,  were  £13,677  19s.  gd.,  and  had  been 

disposed  of  as  follows  : — 

Dividend  to  Members    ;^11163     7   10 

,,    Non-members   508   18     2 

To  Educational  Purposes,  as  per  rule.  ...  318   15     6 

To  Reserve  Fund    503   18     4 

To  Depreciation   of   Propertv   and   Fixed 

and  Rolling  Stock ^. 812   1110 

Carried  forward 370     8     1 

;^13,677   19     9 

The  present  value  of  property  owned  by  the  society 
was  £13,839  ;  fixed  and  rolling-stock,  £1,384  ;  reserve 
fund,  £2,845.  The  penny  savings  bank  was  still  used 
very  largely  :  there  had  been  paid  in,  £2,654  '>  P^i^  ^^^' 
£2,280  ;  and  the  present  claim  was  £3,489 — an  increase 
of  £491  over  the  preceding  year.  The  share  capital  of 
the  society,  in  face  of  the  depressed  trade,  still  grew. 
Contributions  received  were  £12,799.  ^^^  present 
dividend  was  2s.  6d.  in  the  pound. 


TRADE    IN    1898  211 

A  brief  address  was  delivered  by  the  chairman  ; 
and  Mr.  E.  O.  Greening,  of  London,  spoke  on  the  progress 
of  the  Co-operative  movement  and  the  advantages 
which  it  coriferred  upon  the  worker. 

During  the  evening  an  excellent  concert  was  given 
b\'  the  following  : — 

Vocalists     -      -    Miss  Florrie  Millidge. 
Miss  Annie  Smart. 
Mr.  P.  Curran. 
Mr.  W.  H.  Ward. 
Humorist    -      -    Mr.  W.  J.  Sutton,  of  Birmingham. 
Accompanist    -    Mr.  P.  Curran. 

Part  Songs    by    The    Crystal    Palace    Festival   Choir — 
Conductor  :     Mr.   Alt.   Petty. 

Trade  in  1898. 

The  progress  of  the  society  in  1898  appears  the  more 
remarkable  when  viewed  in  relation  to  the  state  of  local 
trade.  Many  people  were  unemployed,  and  dependent 
upon  charity  or  poor  law  relief.  The  situation  was  thus 
described  in  the  Coventry  Herald  and  Free  Press  of 
30th  December  : — "  Eighteen  hundred  and  ninety-eight 
has  been  a  bad  trade  year  in  Coventry  ;  like  its  pre- 
decessor, it  has  witnessed  the  continuance  of  the  reaction 
which  followed  the  cycle  boom  of  1896.  It  would  not 
be  correct  to  say  that  the  morals  drawn  from  that  event 
have  been  abundant,  for  in  truth  they  have  been 
monotonous  ;    the  principal  lesson  in  the  case  has  been 

the  old  lesson  of  fools  and  rogues  and  rogue-fools 

There  are  people  identified  \\ath  cycle  company  specula- 
tion who  would,  if  the  law  were  on  a  satisfactory  footing, 
be  now  undergoing  penal  servitude  ;  everybody  knows 
who  they  are  ;  whether  they  have  kept  their  money 
or  lost  it,  the}^  are  enemies  of  society." 


Chapter  XXIX. 

1899    -"^ND    1900. 
1899. 

THE  report  presented  to  the  Co-operative  Congress 
held  at  Liverpool  in  May,  by  the  Coventry 
District  Association,  nominally  for  1898,  really 
carried  the  history  up  to  the  spring  of  1899.  ^^e  portion 
relating  to  Coventry  was  as  follows  : — 

"  The  Coventry  Perseverance  Society  is  still  making 
very  rapid  progress,  so  much  so  that  the  committee 
have  all  their  work  to  do  to  keep  pace  with  its  require- 
ments. As  mentioned  in  our  last  report,  they  were 
building  a  new  bakery  in  Cox  Street,  Coventry.  This 
is  now  quite  complete  and  in  full  working  order.  The 
buildings  are  of  quite  a  modem  type,  and  fitted  with 
machinery  and  ovens  of  the  latest  and  most  approved 
patterns,  and  it  is  altogether  one  of  the  handsomest  and 
best-equipped  bakehouses  in  the  kingdom.  Occasion 
was  taken  of  the  opening  to  hold  a  monster  tea  for  the 
members  on  the  premises,  when  it  was  filled  to  over- 
flowing. 

"  The  society  has  just  bought  for  extension  a  large 
block  of  property  consisting  of  six  shopS;  adjoining  their 


1899  213 

present  drapery  department,  and  called  Britannia 
Buildings,  which  extend  along  West  Orchard  to  the 
rear  of  the  Central  Stores,  and  plans  are  prepared  for 
the  requisite  alterations,  so  that  they  will  be  all  used 
by  the  society  for  extending  their  present  departments 
and  entering  upon  new  ones,  and  the  City  Council  have 
just  passed  a  plan  for  connecting  this  building  with  the 
central  offices  by  a  bridge  over  the  river.  It  will  thus  be 
seen  that  the  committee  have  not  been  able  to  stand  idle. 

"  The  educational  committee  have  been,  as  usual, 
hard  at  work  all  the  year.  The  continuation  classes 
last  year  bringing  such  excellent  results,  they  are  con- 
tinued this  year  also,  and  the  different  classes  keep  our 
large  room  occupied  nearlv  every  night,  among  other 
subjects  taught  being  shorthand,  writing,  music,  singing, 
the  life  and  duty  of  the  citizen,  common  things,  etc.  ; 
and  the  choral  class,  in  addition  to  attending  the 
Crystal  Palace  Festival,  have  just  concluded  the  session 
with  a  very  successful  concert  in  the  Com  Exchange. 

"  We  should  not  do  justice  by  this  society  if  we  omitted 
referring  to  the  Women's  Guild,  which  works  in  perfect 
harmony  with  the  other  committees  of  the  society, 
and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  strength  of  the 
Coventry  society  is  in  no  small  amount  due  to  the  help 
and  work  of  the  Women's  Guild.'' 

In  another  paragraph  it  is  stated  that  one  of  the 
district  conferences  took  place  at  Coventry,  "  and  by  the 
extreme  courtesy  of  the  Coventry  committee  was  held 
in  the  new  bakery,  which  was  just  completed,  and 
opportunity  was  given  to  inspect  the  whole  of  the 
buildings  and  machinery — a  privilege  the  delegates 
highly  appreciated." 


214  1899 

Posing  as  a  "  thorough  educationalist,"  one  of  the 
members  at  the  adjourned  quarterly  meeting  on  Feb. 
20th  made  another  attack  on  the  setting  aside  of  2J  per 
cent,  of  the  net  profits  to  the  educational  fund.  The 
rule  which  governed  the  matter  is  not  without  interest 
in  these  days.  It  provided  that  the  profits  of  all  business 
carried  on  by  or  on  account  of  the  society  shall  be 
applied,  inter  alia,  as  follows  : — "  In  promoting  instruc- 
tion, culture,  or  recreation,  by  forming  an  educational 
fund,  to  which  such  proportion  as  the  society  ma}' 
direct,  and  subject  thereto,  2|  per  cent,  of  the  net 
profits,  or  such  larger  sum  as  any  ordinary  business 
meeting  may  vote,  shall  be  carried."  The  member  in 
question  thought  2 J  per  cent,  was  too  much,  and  that 
I J  per  cent,  would  be  quite  enough.  The  motion  having 
been  seconded,  the  President  (Mr.  Jones),  Mr.  Clay, 
and  Mr.  Adams  opposed  any  tampering  with  the  fund, 
and  the  resolution  was  rejected. 

Mr.  J.  T.  Lower,  who  in  another  chapter  is  designated 
as  a  typical  working  man  co-operator,  had  been  president 
of  the  society  during  thirteen  years  of  exceptional 
activity  and  progress.  He  had  devoted  himself  zealously 
and  unsparingly  to  the  promotion  of  the  society's  interest, 
and  in  that  regard  he  had  found  his  reward — he  was 
esteemed  for  his  work's  sake.  The  time  had  unfor- 
tunately now  come  when,  from  personal  considerations, 
he  felt  he  could  no  longer  continue  in  office.  Although 
he  had  been  re-elected  at  the  meeting  in  the  previous 
January,  on  April  i8th,  Mr.  Jas.  Clay,  acting-chairman, 
announced  that  Mr.  Lower  had  resigned.  He  had  done 
so  in  a  letter  which  showed  that  the  severance  caused 
him  the  keenest  pain.     The  members  had  no  alternative 


i899  215 

to  accepting  the  resignation,  however,  and  the  ottice  of 
president  was  once  more  vacant.  The  chairman  stated 
that  the  appointment  was  in  the  hands  of  the  members, 
but  the  committee  had  considered  the  matter,  and  on 
their  behalf  he  moved  that  Mr.  Wm.  Jones  be  elected 
president  for  the  remainder  of  the  term — that  was, 
until  the  succeeding  January.  This  was  seconded  by 
]\Ir.  T.  Claridge.  Three  other  names  were  suggested, 
but  the  owners  of  them  declined  nomination,  and  the 
election  of  Mr.  Jones  was  carried  unanimously. 

Some  ver}^  unpleasant  episodes  in  Coventr}',  caused  by 
the  St.  Michael's  Vicar  Rate,  were  terminated  by  a 
scheme  for  its  redemption — bming  the  rate  out,  so  to 
speak  ;  and  towards  the  fund  for  the  purpose  the 
committee,  at  the  July  meeting,  recommended  that  the 
sum  of  five  guineas  be  granted.  The  president  explained 
that  several  of  their  stores  were  in  St.  Michael's  parish, 
and  the  committee  thought  the  society  should  do  some- 
thing towards  getting  rid  of  the  rate.  The  proposition 
was  contested,  of  course.  There  was  a  principle  involved, 
and  very  strong  feelings  had  been  aroused  during  the 
agitation  against  the  impost.  But  eventually  the 
recommendation  was  adopted. 

The  society's  business  had  gro\\Ti  to  such  an  extent — 
a  turnover  of  /88, 000  a  year  and  a  number  of  shops — 
that  a  feeling  was  expressed  that  it  would  be  proper 
to  separate  the  double  duties  hitherto  performed  by 
Mr.  Jarrams,  who  was  overtaxed,  and  appoint  a  general 
manager  in  addition  to  a  secretary.  The  subject  was 
referred  to  the  committee  in  July,  and  in  October  they 
reported  that  they  had  decided  to  appoint  a  man  to 
take  charge  of  the  grocery  department  and  the  stores. 


2i6  1900 

Early  in  the  year  a  sum  of  £500  was  set  aside  for  the 
conversion  of  Britannia  Buildings  into  suitable  shops, 
and  other  alterations  at  West  Orchard. 

Some  criticisms  being  offered  of  the  metallic  check 
system,  which  it  was  contended  was  now  completely 
out  of  date  and  unsatisfactory,  enquiries  were  instituted 
respecting  other  systems,  but  it  did  not  appear  that  a 
change  would  be  advantageous. 

The  turnover  for  the  3'ear — £85,751  19s.  2d. — showed 
a  falling  off  of  £2,380  9s.  8d.  ;  but  it  still  constituted 
the  second  highest  on  record,  and  the  decline  proved 
to  be  temporary. 

1900. 

In  this  3Tar,  the  thirty-third  of  the  society's  existence, 
and  the  closing  one  of  the  centur}^  the  sales  increased 
to  nearh'  one  hundred  thousand  pounds — the  precise 
figures  being  £99,936  7s.  lod. — the  profit  was  £16,550 
2s.  6d.  ;  the  dividend  2s.  6d.  in  the  pound  on  members' 
purchases,  and  the  number  of  members  made  a  start 
on  its  sixth  thousand.  The  societ}-  gave  away  in 
charitable  subscriptions  £58. 

The  new  stores  in  West  Orchard  were  opened  in 
February,  and  a  portion  of  the  twent\'-three-year-old 
"  beautiful  building  "  was  set  free  for  the  better  accom- 
modation of  the  administrative  staff. 

At  a  special  meeting  on  April  17th,  the  members 
confirmed  the  purchase  for  £1,800  of  a  piece  of  land 
on  the  Allesley  Road,  containing  9  a^res  and  ^^  perches, 
to  be  used  for  grazing  the  society's  horses,  the  money 
being  drawn  from  the  reserve  fund. 

The  death  took  place  on  December  3rd  of  a  valued 
member     of    the    committee    in     ]\Ir.    Thomas    Kirby. 


1900 


Mr.  Kirby,  admitted  to  membership  of  the  society  on 
loth  December,  1867,  while  residing  in  Alma  Street, 
was  a  working  watchmaker.  Portly  in  build,  of  genial 
disposition,  and  characterised  by  common-sense,  he 
was  filled  with  the  Co-operative  spirit.  Ha\'ing  been 
shortly  elected  to  the  committee,  he  devoted  himself 
unstintedly  to  its  work  ;  taking  an  active  interest  in 
the  bakery  business,  showing  judgment  in  the  purchase 
of  horses,  and  being  especially  useful  in  pig-bu\dng — 
an  important  branch  of  the  society's  transactions. 
His  integrity  was  indicated  by  a  dictum  of  his  which 
is  well  remembered.  A  parcel  of  butter  not  proving 
altogether  satisfactory,  he  said,  with  a  twinkle  in  his 
eye,  if  the  committee  made  a  mistake,  it  was  thev  who 
should  suffer  :  they  ought  to  buy  the  butter  and  eat 
it  themselves  !  Mr.  Kirby  was  of  very  great  service 
to  the  society  during  the  long  period  of  his  membership 
of  the  committee — nearly  thirty  years — and  his  death 
was  keenly  regretted  by  his  colleagues  and  all  who  knew 
him. 

It  was  the  period  of  the  South  African  War,  and  in 
addition  to  other  charitable  subscriptions,  the  sum  of 
£5  5s.  od.  was  voted  to  the  Mayor's  Fund  for  the  benefit 
of  widows  and  orphans  of  members  of  H.M.  Forces, 
and  a  like  amount  to  the  Midland  Daily  Telegraph  fund. 

The  District  Association  reported  to  Congress  as 
follows  : — "  On  April  28th  the  first  conference  was 
held  at  the  Coventry  Assembly  Room,  when  Miss 
Llewellyn  Davies's  paper  on  '  Co-operation  in  Poor 
Neighbourhoods  '  was  read.  The  discussion  which 
followed  was  not  at  all  in  its  favour,  the  paper  being 
severely  criticised.     After  tea,  the  tone  of  the  delegates' 


2i8  1900 

remarks  was  reversed  as  they  were  conducted  through 
the  new  portion  of  the  Perseverance's  premises,  venti- 
lating their  feelings  with  praise  and  good  wishes  for 
continued  prosperity,  which  the  society  deserved  in 
the  endeavour 

To  meditate,  to  plan,  resolve,  perform. 
Which  in  itself  is  good,  as  surely  brings 
Reward  of  good,  no  matter  what  be  done. 

Here  is  a  faint  idea  of  the  society's  workings  during  the 
year  :  Increase  of  members  326,  increase  of  share  capital 
£3,044,  increase  of  trade  £12,758,  total  paid  away  to 
members  in  dividend  £11,699  ;  also  very  liberal  con- 
tributions to  reserve  fund,  depreciations,  and  educa- 
tional department,  which  carries  out  its  work  to  per- 
fection. The  choir,  it  will  be  remembered,  have  shown 
their  ability  at  the  Crystal  Palace  by  making  a  name  for 
themselves  in  the  Co-operative  world.  The  society 
has  given  attention  to  local  elections,  and  successfully 
run  the  society's  president  (Mr.  Jones)  for  a  seat  on  the 
School  Board." 

It  was  on  the  whole  a  prosperous  year,  but  the  nine- 
teenth century  did  not  expire  without  giving  the  society 
a  kick. 


Chapter  XXX 


I9OI    TO    1903. 


I9OI. 


"  There's  water  here,  there's  water  there  : 
There's  water,  water  everywhere." 

IX  some  such  words  as  those  printed  above,  hundreds 
of  Coventr3^'s  inhabitants  might  have  murmured 
their  plaint  on  the  first  day  of  the  Twentieth 
Century.  For  wateriness  it  was  the  most  sensational 
Xew  Year's  mom  on  record. 

So  much  rain  had  fallen  during  December  that  the 
area  of  the  Sherboume  basin  above  Coventry  had  be- 
come more  or  less  water-logged.  Then  in  the  last 
fortv-eight  hours  of  the  old  \Tar  there  was  an  altogether 
abnormal  downpour,  which  increased  to  a  maximum 
on  Sundays  December  31st.  The  river,  being  wholly 
unequal  to  carr3Tng  away  the  water  which  flowed  into 
it  from  all  sides,  became  torrential,  and  then  swelled 
beyond  its  banks.  The  rise  at  some  points  was  about 
13  feet,  and  what  is  called  "  ponding  "  took  place  over 
more  than  three  miles  of  streets,  covering  an  area  of 
upwards  of  a  hundred  acres.  In  scores  of  houses  the 
water  was  so  abundant  that  the  inhabitants  took  refuge 


220  igoi 

in  the  upper  storeys,  where  they  were  supphed  through 
the  windows  with  food  and  drink  by  persons  in  vehicles, 
while  there  was  witnessed  the  strange  spectacle  of  boats 
in  the  streets.  Portions  of  Coventry  had  for  the  nonce 
a  Dutch-like  aspect.  At  the  bridge  near  the  Central 
Co-operative  Stores  in  Fleet  Street,  the  water  rose  to 
a  height  of  13  feet  5  inches  above  the  bed  of  the  stream, 
reaching  a  maximum  of  more  than  three  feet  above  the 
crown  of  the  arch  at  5  a.m.  A  considerable  extent  of 
the  neighbourhood  was  flooded.  The  deluge  was  of 
course  quite  impartial  in  its  visitations — it  paid  six  feet 
of  its  respects  to  the  church  of  St.  John  Baptist,  and 
visited  the  Co-operative  stores  and  offices  likewise, 
tilling  basements  and  inundating  yards  and  ground 
flrors  to  a  depth  of  several  feet  above  the  street  levels. 
Not  only  were  the  buildings  themselves  affected,  but  a 
large  amount  of  merchandise  with  other  possessions  was 
damaged  or  destroyed. 

The  committee,  and  indeed  all  concerned,  had  an 
uncomfortable  time.  They  worked  vigorously  and 
incessantly  ;  but  even  at  the  quarterly  meeting,  after 
a  fortnight  had  elapsed,  the  president  stated  that  the 
full  extent  of  the  damage  had  not  been  ascertained. 
It  was  known,  however,  that  the  society  had  suffered 
a  heavy  loss.  ^^'hen  the  disaster  had  been  dealt  with 
and  orderliness  had  been  restored,  it  was  found  that  the 
total  loss  was  about  £1,500.  This  was  immediately 
covered  by  a  draft  from  the  reserve  fund  ;  but  even  yet 
the  effects  are  not  obliterated. 

The  Coventry  District  Association's  report  to  the 
succeeding  Congress  contained  the  following  reference 
to  the  flood  : — 


IQOI  221 

"  The  most  important  event  took  place  during  the 
closing  hours  of  the  nineteenth  century.  This  district 
was  the  scene  of  destructive  floods,  which  did  damage 
to  the  Perseverance  Society  of  £1,500  ;  hence  the  great 
\'alue  to  be  placed  upon  good  depreciation  and  reserve 
funds,  proving  b}'  this  disaster  the  practical  benefits 
derived  from  the  wise  distribution  of  profits.  Again, 
the  wisdom  of  the  educational  department  in  its  past 
work — '  Like  bread  cast  upon  the  waters  ' — must  here 
return  after  many  days,  ha\dng  taught  the  members 
how  to  stand  firm  by  the  old  ship  in  the  time  of  trouble 
caused  by  that  rainy  day." 

Doubtless  fearing  a  reduced  dividend,  many  members 
withheld  the  sending  in  of  their  purchase  checks,  but 
the  payment  of  2s.  6d.  in  the  pound  was  recommended 
to  the  April  meeting,  lea\ing  a  margin  of  /250  os.  id. 
to  be  carried  forward.  A  resolution  was  proposed, 
however,  that  those  who  had  sent  in  their  checks  as 
usual  should  be  rewarded  by  an  extra  dividend  of  6d. 
in  the  pound,  which  would  have  required  a  draft  of 
£300  from  the  reserve  fund.  Other  counsels  prevailed, 
however,  for  on  a  vote  being  taken  the  proposal  was 
not  accepted. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Ansell  intimating  that  he  did  not  wish 
to  stand  again  for  election  as  auditor  was  not  nominated, 
and  he  retired  from  the  position  in  July.  Thereupon  the 
president  moved  that  the  best  thanks  of  the  meeting 
be  given  to  Mr.  Ansell  for  his  long  and  faithful  services 
to  the  society  as  one  of  its  auditors,  speaking  very  highly 
of  their  value.  Mr.  J.  T.  Lower,  in  seconding  the 
resolution,  eulogised  Mr.  Ansell,  and  reminded  the 
meeting  that  he  was  a  member  of  the  first  committee, 


222  igoi 

thirty-four  years  previously.  The  resolution  was 
passed  unanimously,  and  Mr.  Ansell  expressed  his 
acknowledgment  of  the  compliment.  The  suggestion 
being  made  that  the  society  should  possess  some  per- 
manent memorial  of  Mr.  Ansell,  the  matter  was  con- 
sidered by  the  committee.  As  a  result  a  portrait  was 
pro\dded,  and  still  occupies  a  conspicuous  position  in 
the  board  room,  the  frame  of  it  bearing  a  suitable 
inscription. 

In  the  autumn  more  property  was  purchased — two 
front  shops  and  one  private  house  in  Gosford  Street, 
leasehold,  with  about  fifty  years  to  run,  purchase  price 
/8oo.  The  president  informed  the  special  meeting  on 
October  15th  that  there  was  no  ground-rent  to  pa}-, 
and  "  it  was  stated  at  the  sale  that  at  the  end  of  the 
lease  there  did  not  appear  to  be  anyone  to  claim  the 
property." 

The  turnover  for  the  year  amounted  to  £110,715 
I2s.  od.,  and  a  dividend  was  paid  at  2s.  6d.  in  the  pound 
on  members'  purchases,  the  net  profit  being  £19,823 
2s.  6d.,  and  the  number  of  members  5,357,  whose  share 
capital  was  £59,522.  Early  in  the  year  the  branch  store 
at  Stretton-on-Dunsmore  had  been  discontinued. 

The  District  Association  reported  to  Congress  as 
follows  : — "  The  progress  of  the  Perseverance  Society, 
Coventry,  has  again  proved  a  credit  to  the  members. 
The  increase  of  trade  at  the  society's  model  bakery  has 
compelled  the  committee  to  provide  a  further  extension. 
A  branch  for  boots  and  drapery,  in  Victoria  Street,  has 
been  opened.  The  total  membership  is  5,357,  an  increase 
of  339  ;  sales  £110,715,  an  increase  of  £10,779,  di\adend 
and  interest  paid  £15,382,  added  to  depreciation  and 


MR.   W.   ANSELL  (AUDITOR). 


1902  225 

reserve  fund  /1.4S5,  to  educational  purposes  £342. 
Space  permits  but  a  slight  reference  to  the  valuable 
educational  department  of  the  Coventry  Society.  A 
peep  into  one  educational  room  reveals  Earl  Grey's 
Challenge  Shield,  the  much  coveted  trophy  splendidly 
earned  b}^  the  society's  choir  at  the  Crystal  Palace, 
with  honour  to  performers  and  conductor  (Mr.  Petty). 
In  another  room  is  seen  a  row  of  typewriting  machines, 
with  the  click,  click,  click  of  members'  children  learning 
the  art  of  typewriting.  Another  new  departure  is  an 
ambulance  brigade,  alread}^  receiving  press  comment 
for  useful  work  rendered  in  the  city  streets,  sports 
ground,  etc.,  and  members  may  well  feel  proud  of  it." 

1902. 

"  Butproputty,  proputty  sticks,  an'  propiitty,  proputty 
grows  " — Tennyson. 

The  most  conspicuous  business  of  this  year  was  in 
relation  to  "  proputty  "  buying,  to  pro\dde  for  extension 
of  business  in  accordance  with  the  branch  store  policy 
of  the  society. 

The  trade  at  both  the  Gosford  Street  and  Brook  Street 
branches  had  grown  so  considerably  that  the  committee 
felt  it  desirable — in  fact  necessary — to  go  further  afield. 
Therefore,  as  practically  a  new  to^\Tl  was  growing  up 
in  the  district  beyond  Pa^Tie's  Lane,  they  recommended 
to  a  special  meeting  in  April  the  purchase  of  440  yards 
of  land  in  Britannia  Street.  Sanction  was  given  to  this 
proposal,  and  to  similar  recommendations  respecting 
675  yards  of  land  in  Somerset  Road,  on  the  Radford 
side  of  the  town,  and  800  square  yards  of  land  on  the 
Stoney  Stanton  Road,  near  to  the  Canal  Bridge.     It  was 

K 


226  1903 

also  decided  to  buy  four  cottages  in  Brewery  Street, 
to  stave  off  litigation  respecting  right  of  light — it  being 
better  to  spend  money  in  buying  property  than  in  law 
proceedings,  said  the  committee. 

Certain  of  the  Private  Traders'  Associations  having 
attempted  to  perpetuate  their  presumed  "  vested  " 
interests  by  persuading  manufacturers  and  others  to 
boycott  co-operative  societies,  and  a  Co-operative 
Defence  Fund  being  proposed  to  the  tune  of  £100,000, 
the  societ}^  determined  to  guarantee  £300,  to  be  called 
up  pro  rata  if  and  as  required. 

The  turnover  for  the  year  advanced  by  £11,233  ^os. 
iifd.  as  compared  with  the  previous  year,  the  gross 
amount  being  £121,949  2s.  11  Jd. 

1903. 

At  a  special  meeting  in  January,  sanction  was  given 
to  the  purchase  of  890  square  yards  of  land  at  Geoffrey; 
Wood's  Cross — the  comer  of  King  Edward  Road — for 
the  erection  of  a  branch  store  and  six  houses  to  be  sold 
to  members.  The  district  was  described  as  rapidly 
growing  with  a  working  class  population. 

In  October,  at  the  quarterly  meeting,  the  president 
made  a  feeling  reference  to  the  recent  death  of  Mr. 
William  H.  Ansell,  for  over  thirty  years  auditor — viz., 
elected  January,  1871,  retired  July,  1901 — and  who  had 
always  discharged  his  duties  most  ably  and  con- 
scientiously. 

A  most  important  and  at  the  same  time  interesting 
matter  was  dealt  with  at  a  special  meeting  in  October — 
that  of  the  amalgamation  of  the  Kenilworth  and  District 
Co-operative  Industrial  and  Provident  Society  with  the 


1903  227 

Coventr\-  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society,  Ltd.  The 
Kenihvorth  Societ}'  had  been  estabhshed  for  thirty  years  ; 
it  had  good  store  buildings  at  Park  Road,  in  a  populous 
district  ;  it  had  a  history,  and  it  was  solvent.  But  for 
various  reasons  it  was  now  thought  that  amalgamation 
would  prove  beneficial  to  both  the  Perseverance 
Societv  and  the  co-operators  of  the  picturesque  town 
hve  miles  away.  The  Kenihvorth  Societ}^  had  been 
valued  bv  the  Co-operative  Wholesale  Societ}^  and  was 
reported  to  be  worth  20s.  in  the  pound.  The  amalgamation 
was  proposed  to  be  effected  on  that  basis.  The  scheme 
was  fullv  discussed,  of  course.  Some  of  the  members, 
as  usual,  had  their  doubts,  but  the  committee  supported 
the  proposal  to  amalgamate,  and  on  a  vote  being  taken 
it  was  carried  by  135  to  30,  which  was  well  over  the 
requisite  three -fourths  majority.  At  a  subsequent 
special  meeting  the  resolution  was  confirmed.  Similar 
resolutions  were  carried  by  the  members  of  the  Kenil- 
worth  Societv.  The  amalgamation  therefore  became 
an  accomplished  fact,  and  on  the  completion  of  the  pro- 
ceedings 228  Kenihvorth  members  were  transferred  to 
the  Coventr}'  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society. 


Chapter  XXXI. 


1904. 


POLITICS  and  Religion  have  never  been  allowed 
to  vex  the  Co-operative  movement.  On  the 
contrary,  men — and  women  too — of  divergent 
beliefs  have  been  united  in  personal  friendships  and 
zeal  for  Co-operation.  Herein  was  common  ground  of 
action  in  promoting  the  public  good.  This  independency 
of  political  parties  has  undoubtedly  been  a  source  of 
strength.  Questions  directly  relating  to  food  come  in 
a  different  category  :  they  may  be  classed  with 
Economics  or  with  Social  Science. 

When  the  Protectionist  agitation  was  in  force  a  few 
years  ago,  there  was  a  danger  of  cleavage  ;  but  the 
proposals  cut  across  party  creeds,  and  it  was  possible 
to  hold  particular  views  without  being  dubbed 
"  pohtical."  Co-operators  could  not  regard  with  in- 
difference any  fiscal  changes  that  would  restrict  the 
supplies  of  food  :  such  restriction  would  be  a  negation 
of  one  of  their  primary  objects. 

Nevertheless,  the  committee  of  the  Coventry  Per- 
severance Co-operative  Society  were  on  delicate  ground 
in  January  of  this  year  when  they  asked  for  authority 
to   join   with   other  bodies  in   opposing  food   taxation. 


I 


1904  229 

This  authority  was  not  very  easily  obtained,  some  of 
the  members  fearing  the  introduction  of  a  political 
apple  of  discord.  Ample  discussion  in  such  a  case  was 
ser\aceable  ;  and  it  could  not  be  said  that  words  darkened 
counsel.  The  fact  was  elicited  that  the  committee 
\iewed  the  matter  solely  as  it  affected  Co-operation. 
A  circular  letter  from  the  Parliamentary  Committee  of 
the  Co-operative  Congress  Board  showed  the  seriousness 
of  the  increase  that  would  take  place  in  the  price  of 
food  if  the  taxation  proposals  were  carried,  and  that 
Co-operation  would  be  vitally  affected.  As  will  have 
been  seen  from  earlier  chapters,  Co-operation  was,  in 
part  at  least,  a  product  of  the  "  good  old  times  "  of  the 
Com  Laws  ;  our  pioneers  had  experienced  the  rigours 
of  dear  bread  and  semi-starvation,  while  their  successors 
were  familiar  with  the  history  of  reform.  Manv  of 
those  who  now  understood  the  inwardness  of  things 
regarded  a  food  taxer  as  an  arch-enem\^  of  Co-operation. 
There  was  little,  if  any,  difference  of  opinion  on  the 
principle,  but  there  was  audible  dissent  on  the  policy 
of  joining  in  the  controversy,  notwithstanding  the 
Parliamentar}'  Committee's  warning.  In  the  result, 
authority  was  given  by  43  votes  to  29 — a  decided 
though  not  large  majority  ;  and  the  committee  made  it 
clear  that  if  the  power  were  used  at  all,  it  would  be 
used  discriminateh"  and  judiciously. 

About  this  time  the  growing  requirements  of  the  society, 
especiall}^  in  respect  of  grocery  and  provisions,  created 
a  difficulty — the  committee  found  themselves  cramped 
for  warehouse  room.  Consequently  it  was  resolved 
to  provide  a  central  warehouse  either  by  buying  or 
building.     Fortunately  some  eligible  property  came  into 


230  1904 

the  market,  which  the  committee  secured  the  option  of 
purchasing.  This  was  an  extensive  building  in  West 
Orchard,  erected  by  Messrs.  Laxon  and  Sons,  provision 
merchants,  and  opposite  to  the  Britannia  Buildings 
Stores.  The  price  was  £2,375.  A  special  meeting  was 
accordingly  held  on  4th  May,  at  which  approval  of  the 
purchase  was  moved  b}^  the  president,  seconded  by 
Mr.  Lower,  who  thought  the  premises  most  suitable  for 
the  trade  of  the  society,  and  carried  unanimously. 

A  fortnight  later,  a  further  special  meeting  was  held, 
when  the  purchase  of  land  at  the  western  end  of  London 
Road,  comprising  189  square  yards,  with  a  frontage  of 
about  23  feet,  on  which  to  build  a  branch  store  for  the 
Much  Park  Street  district,  was  recommended. 
Apparentlv  there  was  a  feeling  that  the  site  was 
undesirabh'  near  the  Workhouse  and  the  Cemetery, 
for  it  was  pointed  out  that  a  position  nearer  to  St. 
John  Street  would  have  been  preferable.  The  president 
(Mr.  Jones)  said  the  committee  were  of  the  same  opinion, 
but  an  ideal  site  was  not  obtainable.  The  recom- 
mendation was  adopted. 


J 


THE    CENTRAL    PROVISION    WAREHOUSE. 


Chapter  XXXII. 
Our  Central  Warehouse. 

"  The  kindly  fruits  of  the  earth." — Litany. 

THE  recenth'  erected  property  in  West  Orchard, 
which  the  society  bought  in  1904  of  Messrs. 
Laxon  and  Son,  bacon  and  cheese  factors,  re- 
quired comparatively  Httle  alteration  to  make  it  fit  for 
a  central  warehouse. 

Built  not  for  ornament,  but  for  the  purposes  of  trade, 
the  warehouse  could  hardly  be  regarded  as  outwardly 
beautiful  ;  but  of  its  potential  usefulness  there  could 
be  no  question.  And  it  has  proved  a  timely  and  valuable 
acquisition  to  the  society's  resources. 

Its  front  elevation  rises  three  storeys  above  the  street 
level,  but  it  has  four  floors.  In  the  extensive  basement 
is  installed  machinery  of  the  latest  type  for  fruit  cleaning, 
and  coffee  grinding  and  other  operations  are  carried  on. 
The  three  floors  above  are  used  for  warehousing  the 
various  commodities  which  grocers  in  a  large  way  of 
business  are  expected  to  supply,  including  manufactured 
tobaccos.  There  is  a  cart  entrance  ;  also  bacon  washing 
and  drpng  rooms,  and  a  cold  store  with  plant  for 
creating  and  preserving  a  low  temperature. 


234  ^^'R    CENTRAL    WAREHOUSE 

All  goods  which  may  be  classed  to  "  groceries  "  and 
provisions  are  received  here  in  bulk  ;  checked,  classified, 
prepared,  and  warehoused.  Reciprocally,  the  goods  are 
selected,  re-packed  according  to  requirements,  and 
dispatched  to  the  twenty-six  grocery  shops.  Motor 
lorries,  vans,  and  other  vehicles  are  constantly  arriving 
and  departing.  The  central  warehouse  ma}^  be  described 
as  the  heart  of  the  society's  grocery  trade.  A  visit  to  it 
would  furnish  subjects  for  fruitful  lessons  to  Co-operative 
students  in  trade  geography,  the  natural  histor}^  of 
commerce,  and  the  far-reaching  ramifications  of  the 
Co-operative  movement.  It  is  a  veritable  emporium 
of  romance  as  well  as  of  commodities.  The  stocks  in 
normal  times  show  how  "  the  kindly  fruits  of  the 
earth  " — the  products  of  most  parts  of  the  world — are 
grown,  gathered,  manufactured  or  prepared,  voyage 
perhaps  thousands  of  miles,  and  are  here  laid  as  it  were 
at  the  Coventry  Co-operators'  feet. 

\\Tiat  inexhaustible  themes  might  be  found  for  an 
enthusiastic  class-lecturer  to  discourse  upon  ! 

Here  can  be  seen  tea  from  China,  India,  or  Ceylon  ; 
coffee  from  Arabia,  East  and  West  Indies,  Liberia,  or 
Brazil  ;  cocoa  from  the  West  Indies,  Central  or  South 
America  ;  spices  from  the  East  and  West  Indies,  or  the 
coasts  of  Africa  ;  currants  from  the  Ionian  Isles  or 
Greece  ;  raisins  from  various  countries  bordering  on 
the  Mediterranean  Sea  ;  sugar  from  the  East  and  West 
Indies,  Java,  or  America  ;  rice  from  the  Tropics  or  the 
swamps  of  Carolina  ;  arrowroot  from  the  Bahamas  ; 
tapioca  from  Singapore  and  the  East  Indies  ;  butter 
from  Ireland,  Normand}^.  Denmark,  or  New  Zealand  ; 
cheese  from  Holland,  America,  New  Zealand,  or  Canada  ; 


OUR    CENTRAL    WAREHOUSE  235 

oranges  from  Spain,  Jaffa,  or  California  ;  apples  from 
Canada,  California,  America,  and  Australia  ;  oats  from 
Scotland  or  Canada  ;  eggs  from  Ireland,  France,  Russia, 
and  other  countries  ;  canned  comestibles  from  many 
different  countries  ;  onions  from  Spain  or  Eg^pt  ;  and  so 
on 

The  Central  Warehouse  is  under  the  control  of  Mr. 
R.  Potts,  general  manager  of  the  society,  with  Mr. 
H.  W.  Wale  as  head  warehouseman,  and  a  staff  of  a 
dozen  or  more  assistants,  the  ore^anisation  being  as 
nearly  perfect  as  possible. 

A  general  idea  of  the  value  of  the  goods  handled  in 
the  central  warehouse  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact 
that  for  the  year  ended  5th  September,  1916,  the  society's 
retail  turnover  for  "  groceries  "  was  £^^^,222,  or  an 
average  of  more  than  £6,700  a  week. 

A  clear  apprehension  of  the  work  done  may,  perhaps, 
be  assisted  by  a  statement  of  the  approximate  quantities 
of  some  of  the  goods  which  pass  through  the  central 
warehouse  in  a  year  : — 


Ti£A       - 

-    255,456  lbs. 

Coffee 

-    9,360  lbs. 

Cocoa 

-    2,444  grosses  of    tins    and    packets  = 

351,936. 

Sugar 

-    1,800  tons.       (The  distribution  of  this 

commodity  is  of  course  now  sub- 

ject to  Government  restrictions.) 

Butter 

230  tons. 

Jams  - 

-    300,000  lbs. 

Biscuits    - 

-    10,400  tins,   averagmg  8  lbs.   each - 

83,200  lbs. 

Currants  - 

-    134,750  lbs. 

Lard  - 

-    161  tons. 

Bacon- 

-    457  tons. 

Cheese 

-    160  tons. 

236  OUR  CENTRAL  WAREHOUSE 


Eggs  - 

-    pre-war  time,  2,000,000  (two  millions). 

Flour 

-    C.W.S.  "  Federation  "  Self-raising,  in 

bags    containing     H    lbs.     each. 

600,000  bags. 

Sweets 

-    31,000  lbs. 

Soaps  (28 

kinds)    832  tons. 

Soda  - 

-    260  tons. 

Tobacco 

-    Fancy,   28,704  lbs. 

Twist,      9,360  lbs. 
Cigarettes,  9J  millions. 

Although  much  of  the  merchandise  comes  carriage 
paid,  and  the  society  is  responsible  for  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  cartage,  the  amount  paid  to  the  railway 
companies  is  ver}'  considerable. 

When  members  go  into  West  Orchard  to  draw  their 
di\ddends,  increase  their  share  capital,  or  transact 
business  of  any  kind  whatsoever,  they  will  perhaps 
give  an  interested  glance  at  "  Our  Central  Warehouse," 
one  of  the  many  freehold  properties  owned  by  the 
society,  and  by  no  means  the  least  important. 


Chapter  XXXIII. 


1905-6. 

1905. 

TR.\DE  in  Coventiy  being  depressed,  and  the 
Mayor  having  opened  a  rehef  fund,  the  society 
decided,  at  the  January  meeting,  to  contribute 

£25- 

The  sum  of  £25  was  also  given  to  the  Poor  Children's 
Boot  Fund. 

In  July  a  special  meeting  was  held,  when  the  president 
explained  that  in  consequence  of  the  store  premises  at 
Earlsdon  being  too  small  for  the  growing  business  there, 
it  was  proposed  to  buy  a  site  at  the  city  end  of  Earlsdon 
Street  and  the  corner  of  Poplar  Road,  comprising  275 
yards  of  land,  and  thereon  build  a  new  store.  It  was  in 
contemplation  to  convert  the  present  store  at  Xo.  b, 
Earlsdon  Street,  into  a  dwelling  house.  The  proposals 
were  duly  confirmed. 

In  September  another  amalgamation  scheme  matured 
— that  of  the  Stoney  Stanton  Road  Prudential  Co-opera- 
tive Societ}',  whose  store  was  between  Red  Lane  and 
Paradise.  This  society  dated  from  1832  ;  but  for  its 
successful    continuance     as     an    independent    concern 


238  1906 

"  the  times  were  out  of  joint."  The  Prudential  Societ}^ 
had,  moreover,  absorbed  the  x\lderman's  Green  Hope 
Industrial  Co-operative  Society,  which  was  another 
struggling  enterprise  in  a  district  largely  occupied  hv 
miners  at  the  various  collieries  in  a  neighbourhood 
several  miles  away.  Both  Hope  and  Prudence  suggested 
amalgamation  with  Perseverance,  in  the  expectation 
that  such  a  trinity  would  co-operatively  prove  victorious. 
After  due  enquiries  and  valuations  a  scheme  was  drafted 
on  a  50  per  cent,  of  share  capital  basis.  The  Stoney 
Stanton  Road  property  consisted  of  grocery  and  drapery 
shops,  bakehouse,  and  cart  shed,  also  a  plot  of  land  at 
the  side  of  gateway,  the  frontage  being  160  feet,  and  the 
area  1,640  square  yards.  The  Alderman's  Green 
property,  some  two  and  a  half  miles  further  away  from 
Coventry,  on  the  same  main  road,  consisted  of  a  double- 
fronted  shop  and  house,  also  a  small  butchers'  shop, 
and  six  cottages,  and  comprised  an  area  of  6,360  square 
3^ards.  The  terms  arranged  were  approved  on  both 
sides,  and  the  scheme  of  amalgamation  was  carried 
through  witli  all  the  requisite  formalities  in  Septembei . 

1906. 

This  year  opened  with  a  parliamentary  election  in 
progress.  Trade  proved  good  ;  there  was  a  great 
influx  of  artisans  and  others  ;  and  the  total  population 
of  Coventry  increased  proportionately.  Building  went 
on  apace  ;  houses  were  erected  ;  schools  were  enlarged, 
and  generally  Coventry  was  prosperous.  The  public 
mind  was  largely  occupied  with  various  matters  of 
special  interest  affecting  local  administration,  such  as 
the  want  of  a  town  hall,  a  refuse  destructor,  water  supply. 


1906  239 

and  50  forth.  Not  many  prominent  edifices  were  erected, 
but  many  castles  were  built— in  the  air  ! 

Apparently  it  was  a  year  of  quietude  for  the  Coventry 
Perseverance  Societ\''s  committee,  attention  being 
concentrated  on  what  may  be  staled  domestic  affairs. 
The  customary  quarterly  meetings  were  held,  and  the 
reports  showed  the  society  to  be  sharing  in  the  city's 
advancement.  All  pre\aous  records  were  exceeded  by 
the  sales  amounting  to  /2ii,435  2s.  2d.,  an  advance 
over  the  previous  year  of  £32,048  12s.  y^d.  ;  and  the 
society  continued  its  policy  of  strengthening  the  reserve 
fund.  ^leanwhile  schemes  of  development  were  quietly 
maturing. 

The  Co-operative  Congress  being  held  in  Birmingham 
it  was  expected  that  Coventry  would  join  in  the  honour 
of  its  reception.  That  expectation  materialised  at  the 
January  meeting  by  the  members  voting  /50  towards 
the  expenses. 

The  president  (Mr.  Jones),  Messrs.  J.  Clay,  \V. 
Compton,  G.  Jarrams,  and  R.  St\Ties  were  accredited 
to  the  Congress,  and  the  president  took  part  in  the 
proceedings. 

An  Exhibition  of  Co-operative  productions  was  held 
in  Curzon  Hall,  at  the  opening  of  which  Councillor 
\\\  Lander,  of  Bolton  (chairman  of  the  Exhibition 
committee  and  a  director  of  the  C.W.S.),  presided,  in  the 
absence  of  the  Lord  ^layor  of  Birmingham,  who  was 
unwell.  The  Bishop  of  Birmingham  (Dr.  Gore)  dehvered 
an  address.  The  president  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance 
Co-operative  Society  moved  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr. 
Lander  and  the  Bishop,  remarking  that  they  had  heard 
two  common-sense  addresses  which  the  delegates  would 


240  1906 

do  well  to  instil  into  the  minds  of  their  members.  The 
two  great  essentials  of  the  Co-operative  movement  were 
education  and  discipline.  If  working  men  would  submit 
to  the  same  discipline  under  managers  appointed  by 
themselves  as  they  did  under  private  capitahsts,  they 
might  do  a  great  deal  more  of  the  trade  of  the  country. 
No  general  could  lead  a  successful  army  unless  he  had 
absolute  discipline  amongst  his  troops.  There  must  be 
a  great  will  power  to  conduct  any  large  business  concern 
— the  lesser  wills  had  to  submit  to  the  greater.  A  bishop, 
in  his  inaugural  address  at  one  of  our  Congresses,  said 
he  knew  several  large  employers  who  would  not  hesitate 
to  pay  a  manager  a  thousand  pounds  a  year  ;  and  he 
asked  where  they  would  find  a  company  of  working  men 
willing  to  do  this  ?  Brains  had  to  be  paid  for.  Dis- 
tributive societies  could  help  productive  societies 
effectually  by  education.  In  Coventry  they  started 
evening  schools  nine  years  ago,  and  now  thej^  had 
1,200  students,  over  900  of  whom  qualified  for  the 
Government  grant,  which  amounted  last  year  to  ;f5io. 

A  portrait  of  Mr.  Jones  was  published  in  the  official 
account  of  the  Congress. 

The  report  to  this  Congress  of  the  Coventry  District 
Association  made  the  following  local  references  ; — 

"  Coventry  Perseverance  Society  has  proved  a  friend 
indeed  to  the  Prudential  vSociety,  Stoney  Stanton  Road, 
Coventry,  which,  after  an  existence  of  73  ^^ears,  became 
in  need  of  help,  and  the  unfortunate  members  have 
been  greatly  benefited  by  Coventry's  friendly  action 
in  taking  them  over  as  a  branch  store.  If  the  true  history 
of  the  '  Prudentials  '  could  be  circulated  amongst  similar 
non-progressive       societies,       possessing      co-operative 


1906  241 

theories  without  and  only  commercial  practices  within, 
holding  aloof  from  the  Union  and  from  Co-operative 
ideals — such  societies  would  profit  by  the  lesson." 

At  the  same  Congress  the  death  of  the  veteran 
Co-operative  leader,  historian,  and  premier  journalist 
of  the  movement,  Mr.  George  Jacob  Holyoake,  was 
reported,  a  resolution  expressing  appreciation  of  his 
life  and  work  was  passed,  and  it  was  resolved  to  raise 
a  memorial  to  his  memory  in  the  shape  of  a  building 
to  form  an  educational  centre.  Events  may  be  antici- 
pated by  the  statement  that  a  sum  of  upwards  of 
£25,000  was  raised,  towards  which  the  Perseverance 
Society  in  July,  1907,  contributed  £100.  A  handsome 
and  useful  building  was  erected  in  Manchester,  and  it  is 
called  "  Holyoake  House." 

Towards  the  end  of  the  summer  a  storm  broke  o\-er 
the  whole  grocery  trade.  It  became  known  that  several 
of  the  largest  soap  manufacturing  firms  were  forming 
a  trust,  or  what  was  called  a  "  combine."  It  was  feared 
that  the  results  of  monopolising  or  "  cornering  "  the 
raw  material  would  send  up  the  price  of  the  finished 
product,  and  would  be  very  injurious  to  the  pubhc 
interest,  as  the  only  object  of  the  "  combine  "  would  be 
to  make  huge  profits  out  of  that  cleanliness  which  is 
said  to  be  next  to  godhness.  Incidentall}^  the  retailer 
would  be  still  further  harassed  and  his  reasonable  profits 
vanish.  The  grocery  trade  was  therefore  up  in  arms, 
and  drastic  measures  of  retaliation  were  threatened, 
including  an  absolute  boycott  of  the  "  combine  "  firms. 
Co-operators  were  of  course  affected,  but  to  a  somewhat 
less  degree,  having  means  of  production  in  their  owni 
hands    through    the    soap    works    of    the    Co-operative 


242  1906 

Wholesale  Society.  This  attempted  "  combine  "  lent 
piquancy  to  the  annual  meeting  of  the  society,  which 
was  held  on  5th  November. 

As  usual,  the  meeting  was  devoted  to  business  and 
music  ;  also,  as  usual,  the  gathering  was  largely  attended, 
the  Public  Baths  Assembly  Hall  being  crowded,  and 
denunciations  of  the  soap  trust  or  "  combine  "  fell  on 
sympathetic  ears. 

The  president  (Mr.  W'm.  Jones)  occupied  the  chair, 
and  was  supported  by  Councillor  W.  Lander,  of  Bolton, 
a  director  of  the  Co-operative  Wholesale  Society. 

The  annual  report  showed  record  trading,  viz.  : — 
£203,847  4s.  3d.,  an  increase  over  the  sales  of  the 
previous  year  of  £32,746  os.  gd.  After  allowing  for 
depreciation  £2,069  2s.  2d.,  interest  on  capital  £4,219 
2s.  5d.,  and  all  working  expenses,  the  profit  was  £27,035 
ys.  9|d.  This,  with  the  balance  of  £511  5s.  5d.  brought 
forward,  had  been  disposed  of  as  follows  : — Members' 
dividend  £24,976  7s.  6d.,  non-members'  dividend  £187 
2s.  4d.,  grants  for  charitable  and  social  purposes  £177 
i8s.  6d.,  educational  account  £671  9s.  6d.,  reserve 
fund  £1,000,  alterations  to  ovens  £495,  carried  forward 
£38  15s.  4.|d.  The  freehold  property  and  fixed  and 
rolling  stock  that  cost  the  society  £51,123  i8s.  od.  had 
been  depreciated  by  £20,369  4s.  2d.,  and  now  stood 
at  £30,754  13s.  lod.  The  reserve  fund  was  £9,745 
IS.  od.,  an  increase  of  £1,216  3s.  gd.  The  penny  savings 
bank  claim  was  £8,334  19s.  4id.,  an  increase  of  £1,277 
I2S.  5|d.  There  had  been  advanced  to  members  on 
house  property  £25,431  2s.  iid.  The  share  capital  of 
the  society  showed  an  increase  of  £14,357  4s.  7d.,  and 
was  now  £105,986  T3S.  gd.     The  increase  in  membership 


1906  243 

was  1,242  on  the  year,  and  the  present  number  was 
8,799.  During  the  \Tar  the  drapery  and  boot  depart- 
ment had  been  extended  to  Kenilworth,  and  the  new 
store  at  Earlsdon  would  be  opened  for  trade  before 
Christmas. 

The  President  said  they  had  had  a  very  prosperous 
year,  and  if  the  members  took  any  item  in  the  balance 
sheet  they  would  find  they  had  made  steady  and  good 
progress.  They  had  increased  the  reserve  fund,  wiped 
a  considerable  sum  off  fixed  stock  and  buildings,  and 
generally  the  society  was  in  a  stronger  and  much  better 
position  than  it  was  a  year  previously.  Tht^  "  soap 
combine,"  of  which  they  had  heard  so  much,  was  not 
born  for  the  public  benefit.  Did  the}'  ever  know  a 
combine  that  was  ?  He  never  did.  They  lived  in  days 
of  syndicates,  trusts,  and  "  combines  " — in  days  when 
they  had  large  capitalists — m.en  w^ho  could  handle  wool, 
cotton,  wheat,  silk,  or  anything  else.  He  did  not  know- 
where  the  trusts  were  going  to  end,  but  they  did  not 
know  as  much  of  trusts  and  syndicates  in  this  country 
as  they  did  in  America  and  Germany,  and  thev  did  not 
want  to.  Tht^  soap  people  had  become  Americanised  ; 
and  he  saw  in  a  paper  a  few  days  ago  that  they  were 
about  to  have  a  large  meat  trust  in  England.  As 
showing  the  public  feeling  in  Coventry  against  the 
"  soap  trust,"  he  stated  that  in  September  the  Coventry 
Perseverance  Society  purchased  from  the  firms  belonging 
to  it  thirteen  tons  of  soap,  and  two  and  a  half  tons  from 
the  Co-operative  Wholesale  Society.  In  October,  they 
purchased  fifteen  tons  from  the  Co-operative  Wholesale 
Society  and  nine  tons  from  the  "  combine."  He  was 
delighted  to  think  that  members  would  have  the  common 


244  1906 

sense  to  buy  their  own  soap — the  soap  that  was  made 
in  the  works  of  the  Wholesale  Society.  And  that  was 
the  moral  he  wanted  them  to  learn  from  this  great 
"  combine."  If  they  would  only  consider  their  own 
interests,  and  look  after  themselves  the  same  as  the 
"  combines  "  did,  they  would  purchase  the  soap  they 
manufactured  themselves.  He  mentioned  this  because 
if  they  looked  at  the  balance  sheet  they  would  see  that 
they  had  very  large  holdings  in  the  Wholesale  Society. 
The  committee  always  purchased  as  much  as  they 
possibly  could  from  the  Wholesale  Society,  and  from  the 
productive  works  which  existed  in  England,  and  they 
would  be  able  to  purchase  more  when  people  considered 
quaUty  a  little  more  and  quantity  less — if,  for  example, 
they  bought  fewer  men's  boots  at  4/6  and  5/-  a  pair  ! 
He  hoped  they  would  consider  these  things,  and  let  them 
during  the  coming  year  sell  more  of  their  own  goods 
and  less  of  other  people's. 

Mr.  Lander  said  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Society, 
as  far  as  he  could  gather  from  the  report,  was  in  an 
excellent  position.  Their  finances  were  sound  ;  their 
loyalty  might  be  described  as  "  fair."  After  some 
general  observations  on  the  subject  of  Co-operation 
and  its  progress,  Mr.  Lander  proceeded  to  remark  that 
they  were  just  at  the  beginning  of  perhaps  the  most 
important  era  of  industrialism  that  they  had  passed 
through  for  a  very  long  time.  The  "  soap  combine  " 
was  only  an  indication  of  "  combines  "  yet  to  come. 
It  was  only  the  beginning  of  the  fight.  What  hope 
had  they  against  "  combines  "  unless  they  entered  into 
industry  in  a  greater  measure,  and  took  their  share 
in   controlling  the   tslw  materials,   the  markets  of  the 


1906  245 

world,  and,  more  than  all,  in  controlling  the  methods 
that  should  be  employed  in  connection  with  the  wage- 
earners  of  the  country  ?  The  hope  of  the  workers  was 
in  combination  in  industry  to  the  fullest  extent. 

The  musical  programme  included  choruses  and  part 
songs,  which  were  admirably  sung  by  the  Co-operative 
Festival  Choir,  conducted  by  Mr.  John  Potter. 


Chapter  XXXIV. 


1907  TO  1909. 


1907. 


TO  butcher  or  not  to  butcher  ?  "  was  again  a 
prominent  question  in  1907.  The  subject  had 
been  mooted  several  times  during  the  previous 
twenty-nine  years  ;  but  the  committee  had  not  deemed 
it  prudent  to  embark  on  such  a  sea  of  troubles  as  the 
butchering  business  seemed  hkely  to  be.  Some  of  the 
members,  however,  thought  that  meat  being  an  im- 
portant article  of  diet,  the  society  should  go  into  the 
trade  of  "  purveying  "  it  from  higher  considerations 
than  finance,  and  enforced  their  contention  by  remarks 
in  the  Report  of  the  Medical  Officer  of  Health.  The 
committee,  of  course,  had  the  experiences  of  other 
societies  before  them,  and  were  not  prepared  to  take  the 
risk.  At  the  July  meeting  the  subject  was  brought  up 
in  a  dehnite  form,  and  instructions  were  given  to  the 
committee  to  make  enquiries,  and  supply  what  informa- 
tion they  could  to  the  next  quarterly  meeting.  In 
October,  therefore,  the  committee  presented  a  report 
which  stated  that  enquiries  had  been  made  of  about 
fifty    societies    engaged    in     the     trade,     and     having 


19^8  247 

considered  the  replies  they  recommended  that  it  was  not 
advisable  to  take  an}-  further  steps  ;  Mr.  Harris  alone 
dissenting.  The  president  moved  the  adoption  of  the 
report,  which  was  seconded  by  Mr.  Keene.  Mr.  Smith 
spoke  strongly  in  favour  of  the  society  entering  into  the 
trade,  expressing  his  belief  that  the  society  should  act 
from  a  sense  of  dut}'  in  supplying  its  members  with 
meat  prepared  under  the  best  conditions,  and  quoting 
the  Report  of  the  Medical  Officer  of  Health  in  support 
of  his  views.  An  amendment  that  the  report  be  referred 
back  for  further  consideration  was  negatived,  and 
eventually  it  was  adopted. 

The  year  opened  with  a  special  meeting  on  January 
14th,  W'hen  it  was  decided  to  purchase  a  piece  of  land, 
591  square  yards  in  extent,  near  the  existing  premises 
at  Stoke,  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  new  store,  to 
pro\ide  for  a  larger  trade  in  a  growdng  district.  Again, 
in  October  it  was  resolved  to  buy  two  other  plots  of 
land,  one  of  250  square  yards  in  Xorthfield  Road, 
Gosford  Fields  Estate,  and  the  other  of  286  square 
yards  at  Dean  Street,  on  which  to  erect  two  additional 
branch  stores. 

In  October  it  was  reported  that  the  membership  had  in- 
creased b\^  886  in  twelve  months,  the  total  now  being9,()79. 

During  the  year  the  sales  were  £233,703  lis.  gd.,  an 
increase  of  £22,268  9s.  7d.  over  those  of  the  previous 
year. 

1908. 

The  society  having  now  a  membership  of  about  10,000, 
and  the  annual  turnover  amounting  to  upwards  of 
£200,000,  the  question  of  the  audit  S3^stem  was  raised. 
Some  members  called  for  a  public  auditor,  while  others 


248  1908 

asked,  W'liy  cliaiig«.-,  when  we  elect  auditors  whom  we 
know  and  can  trust  ?  The  subject  was  discussed  at 
the  January  meeting,  on  a  definite  motion  for  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  pubhc  auditor.  The  committee  guided  the 
members  into  a  virtuous  course,  suggesting  a  supple- 
mentary special  audit  by  a  public  auditor  every  three 
years.  This  compromise  was  accepted.  At  the  April 
meeting,  Mr.  T.  H.  Adams  expressed  his  opinion  that  the 
result  of  the  special  audit  was  most  satisfactory,  and 
also  showed  that  the  elective  auditors  had  done  their 
work  efficiently. 

In  April  the  sum  of  £500  was  agreed  to  be  drawn 
from  the  reserve  fund  to  be  spent  on  new  machiner}^ 
for  the  bakery. 

A  proposal  that  the  committee  should  commence 
in  the  milk  trade  for  the  whole  of  the  members,  by 
establishing  a  Co-operative  dairy  as  early  as  possible, 
was  altered  to  one  that  the  committee  enquire  into 
the  matter  and  report  ;  and  this  was  agreed  to.  Having 
made  full  enquiries  and  carefully  considered  them,  the 
committee  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  time  was  not 
opportune  for  so  hazardous  a  venture  as  the  milk  trade. 
This  view  being  accepted  by  the  members  at  the  October 
meeting,  the  matter  was  adjourned. 

Depression  of  trade  caused  a  considerable  amount  of 
unemployment  in  the  city.  This  adversely  affected 
the  spending  power  of  a  large  portion  of  the  population, 
and  for  the  first  time  for  some  years  the  society's  takings, 
although  considerable,  were  not  progressive — in  fact, 
they  relatively  decreased.  The  turnover  for  the  third 
quarter  w^as  £54,431  os.  ii|d.,  being  less  than  that  of 
the    corresponding    quarter    of    the    previous    year    by 


1908  249 

£509  ^8s.  lojd.  The  departments,  explained  the 
committee  at  the  October  meeting,  that  showed  a  falHng 
off  were  the  drapery  and  furniture,  clothing  and  coal, 
"  which,  as  a  result  of  trade  in  the  cit}^  being  bad, 
would  suffer  first."  Nevertheless  the  balance  profit 
available  for  division  was  the  substantial  sum  of  £6,482 
OS.  6d.  This  being  much  less  than  the  usual  amount, 
the  committee  recommended  that  £826  6s.  6d.  be  taken 
from  the  reserve  fund  to  maintain  the  half-a-crowTi  in 
the  pound  dividend.  The  share  capital  of  the  societv 
had  decreased  by  £2,202  to  £132,018  ;  while  the  penny 
bank  claims  were  £8,122,  a  decrease  of  £405  on  the 
preceding  quarter.  These  two  items  certainly  showed 
the  value  of  thrift  and  the  great  utility  of  the  society 
from  a  savings  bank  aspect.  The  report  and  balance 
sheet  were  adopted. 

That  the  local  trade  depression  was  severe  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  the  ]\Iayor  opened  a  relief  fund.  Towards 
this  the  committee  recommended  a  grant  of  £100.  An 
amendment  stipulated  £40  to  the  Mayor's  fund,  £25  to 
be  used  in  relieving  distressed  members  of  the  societv, 
£25  to  the  feeding  of  poor  children,  and  £10  to  the 
Children's  Boot  Fund.  This  allocation  of  amounts  was 
negatived.  Then  a  further  amendment  was  proposed — 
it  was  that  the  sum  of  £100  be  devoted  to  assisting  poor 
members  of  the  society,  the  distribution  to  be  entrusted 
to  a  special  committee.  This  was  carried  by  125  votes 
to  117,  and  a  committee  of  twelve  was  appointed,  four 
of  its  members  being  women. 

At  the  same  meeting  the  committee  announ(vd  their 
intention  of  opening  the  shop  next  door  to  the  gi'ocery 
store  in  (josh^rd  Street  as  a  boot  and  shoe  store. 


250  1909 

It  was  likewise  reported  that  the  committee  had  plans 
passed  to  pull  down  the  old  bakery  at  the  rear  of  the 
West  Orchard  building  and  to  erect  a  new  building  in 
continuation  of  the  front  premises,  which  would  give 
several  additional  rooms. 

A  further  matter  of  interest  was  the  recommendation 
to  purchase  No.  9,  Victoria  Street,  and  to  remove  from 
the  present  premises,  the  rent  of  which  had  been  con- 
siderably increased. 

It  may  be  mentioned  that  in  addition  to  the  special 
relief  fund  of  £100  distributed  by  its  own  committee, 
the  society  gave  away  during  the  year  to  various  benefi- 
cent purposes,  including  Coventry  and  Birminghan-i 
hospitals,  the  several  philanthropic  societies,  etc.,  a 
total  of  more  than  £60, 

Notwithstanding  the  depression  in  trade  the  society's 
sales  amounted  to  £239,530  i8s.  lod.,  being  £582  7s.  id. 
more  than  in  1907. 

To  the  ensuing  Congress  at  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  the 
District  Association  reported  that  "  Coventry  has 
experienced  a  '  slump  '  in  trade,  and  has  passed  through 
a  very  trying  year,  but  its  work  educationally  has  gone 
on  increasing  in  extent  in  spite  of  it  all." 

1909. 

One  of  the  first  matters  of  business  in  the  New  Year 
was  the  report  of  the  special  committee  having  in  hand 
the  distribution  of  the  sum  of  £100  granted  in  the 
preceding  October  for  the  benefit  of  distressed  members. 
The  members  of  the  committee  had  taken  such  a 
sympathetic  interest  in  the  work,  and  discharged  their 


igog  251 

responsibilities  with  so  much  discretion,  that  the 
society  accorded  them  very  hearty  thanks. 

The  site  of  the  Bristol  Road  Stores,  having  a  frontage 
of  88  feet,  with  a  frontage  also  to  Centaur  Road  of  30 
feet,  and  containing  about  293  square  yards,  was 
decided  to  be  bought  at  a  special  meeting  on  April  21st. 

At  the  same  meeting  the  president  cahed  attention 
to  the  proposed  alteration  in  the  check  system.  In 
October  he  stated  the  new  s^^stem  was  to  start  with  the 
next  quarter,  and  asked  members  to  do  all  they  could 
to  make  it  work  smoothh\ 

The  number  of  members  at  the  end  of  the  year  was 
upwards  of  11,000  and  the  sales  for  the  year  showed  a 
gratifying  increase  after  the  "  slump,"  totalling  to 
£246, 859  13s.  /id.,  or  £7,328  14s.  9jd.  more  than  in 
1908. 

The  District  Association's  report  to  Congress  contained 
the  following  local  reference  : — "  Coventry  society  has 
also  experienced  a  welcome  revival  in  trade,  and 
considerable  addition  to  its  membership.  The  Climax 
check  system  has  been  adopted  this  year,  one  new 
branch  has  been  added,  and  plans  for  two  more  have 
been  passed." 


Chapter  XXXV 
1910  TO  1912. 


1910. 

THE  adoption  of  the  new  check  system  involved 
the  calling  in  of  all  metal  checks.  The  result 
showed  there  had  been  an  enomious  accumulation 
in  members'  hands:  it  amounted  to  £11,000.  This  was 
one  of  the  facts  which  proved  the  necessity  of  a  S3^stem 
that  would  ensure  each  purchase  being  recorded  at 
the  time  and  duly  credited  during  the  current  quarter. 
The  sales  for  the  previous  quarter  had  amounted  to 
£64,790  14s.  I  id.,  and  the  money  available  for  disposal 
was  £8,483  i6s.  3jd.  To  pay  an  all-round  dividend 
of  2s.  6d.  in  the  pound  required  this  surplus  to  be 
supplemented,  and  the  committee  recommended  to 
the  January  meeting  a  draft  on  the  reserve  fund  of 
£1,187  14s-  2d.  A  proposition  was  made  that  a  divi- 
dend of  2s.  3d.  in  the  pound  be  paid,  but  the  views  of 
the  committee  received  endorsement,  and  thus  matters 
were  straightened. 

Yet  another  line  of  business  for  the  society  was 
suggested — that  of  a  laundry ;  and  the  committee 
were  instructed  to  obtain  information.      At  the  April 


IQIO  253 

meeting,  however,  the  president  reminded  the  members 
that  they  had  a  Co-operative  dairy  under  consideration, 
and  asked  that  the  laundry  question  be  postponed. 
The  meeting  assented. 

Among  the  votes  for  beneficent  purposes  was  one 
at  the  Julv  meeting  of  £20  entrusted  to  the  Women's 
Guild  for  the  purchase  of  sick  room  appliances,  to  be 
lent  to  members. 

To  bank  with  the  Co-operative  Wholesale  Society  was 
decided  upon  b}'  a  majority  of  four  only — 81  against  77. 

Decent  li\ing  accommodation  being  one  of  the  social 
objects  of  the  Co-operative  movement,  the  committee 
were  in  accord  with  it  in  asking  for  power  to  spend 
mone}'  in  building  a  few  cottages  at  Alderman's  Green. 
As  stated  in  Chapter  XXXIII,  a  part  of  the  property 
acquired  by  the  amalgamation  of  the  "  Hope  "  society 
consisted  of  several  cottages,  which  proved  to  be 
insanitary.  They  were  not  connected  with  any  drainage 
system,  and  the  Foleshill  District  Council  took  action. 
The  committee  came  to  the  conclusion  that  any  mone}' 
spent  upon  them  would  be  wasted.  They  therefore 
had  plans  prepared  and  passed  for  five  front  cottages, 
and  proposed  to  construct  a  street  and  build  more 
cottages  if  there  pro\'ed  to  be  a  demand  for  them. 
The  outlay  now  contemplated  was  about  £4,000.  The 
members  gave  the  requisite  authority  for  proceeding 
with  the  scheme. 

At  the  October  meeting  a  report  on  the  milk  trade 
question  recommended  the  society  to  establish  a 
Co-operative  dairy,  although  the  committee  were  not 
unanimous  in  the  matter.  The  pros  and  cons  were 
well  discussed,  and  a  resolution  to  adopt  the  committee's 


254  I9I0 

recommendation  was  put  to  the  vote  and  carried  by  a 
majority  of  14 — 87  votes  to  73.  The  committee  were 
then  given  the  necessary  powers  to  start  in  the  trade, 
which  thev  did  in  1913,  as  described  in  a  later  chapter. 

An  important  purchase  of  property  was  confirmed  at 
a  special  meeting  on  October  i8th — that  of  Xos.  38  and 
39,  Smithford  Street  :  two  shops  and  back  premises 
next  above  the  Fleet  Street  Stores,  the  property  being 
at  the  rear  of  the  society's  main  building  in  West 
Orchard.  The  purchase  price  was  £3,040.  The  property 
being  let  on  a  repairing  lease  prevented  the  society 
taking  immediate  possession,  but  it  was  bringing  in  a 
rental  of  /120  a  year. 

Still  another  proposed  expenditure  of  capital  was 
brought  before  the  members  at  a  special  meeting  on 
December  19th.  The  committee  had  secured  a  piece 
of  land  at  Swan  Lane,  opposite  the  Canal  Basin,  and 
adjoining  land  acquired  by  the  L.  and  N.W.  Railway 
Company  in  connection  with  their  new  loop  line.  It 
was  4,770  square  yards  in  extent.  There  was  a  street 
made  through  the  middle  of  it,  with  drains  laid  ;  and 
the  price  was  £1,050.  The  committee  hoped  also  to 
purchase  another  plot  of  land  by  which  the 3^  would 
obtain  the  whole  of  the  frontage  in  Kent  Road  and 
Swan  Lane.  Full  authority  was  given  as  the  committee 
desired. 

At  the  same  meeting  the  sum  of  £50  was  voted  to 
the  Penycraig  and  Mid-Rhondda  Co-operative  Society, 
to  enable  it  to  meet  heavy  withdrawals  and  also  help 
the  members,  who  were  in  distress  owing  to  a  strike. 

The  society  made  substantial  progress  during  the  year, 
the  sales  being  £278,191  i6s.  4d.,  or  upwards  of  £31,000 


iQii  255 

more   than   in   the   preceding  year,   and   the   members 
increasing  to  13,000. 

The  District  Association  presented  a  report  to  the 
Congress  at  Bradford,  1911,  in  which  they  said  : — 
"  Coventry  Society  has  had  a  thoroughly  good  3Tar  for 
trade  and  membership.  Two  new  stores  have  been 
built  and  opened  in  the  suburbs,  one  opened  in  the 
centre  of  the  town,  and  two  more  building  in  the  new 
districts.  Large  pieces  of  land  have  been  bought  for 
further  extension,  and  a  mandate  secured  from  the 
membership  for  the  society  entering  into  the  milk 
business." 

1911. 

The  year  opened  amid  excitement  engendered  by  a 
parliamentary'  election  ;  in  June  the  King's  Coronation 
was  celebrated  ;  in  August  a  serious  strike  of  railway 
servants  took  place  ;  during  many  months  the  National 
Insurance  Bill  and  the  local  housing  difficulties  were 
much  discussed  ;  and  a  movement  was  started  by  retail 
tradesmen  to  organise  a  "  Shopping  Week." 

Nevertheless,  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative 
Society  proceeded  along  the  upward  path,  lengthening 
its  membership  roll,  enlarging  its  capital,  and  increasing 
its  turnover. 

An  interesting  diversion  was  provided  from  February 
25th  to  March  4th,  in  an  exhibition  of  productions 
manufactured  by  the  Co-operative  Wholesale  Societ\'. 
This  was  held  in  the  Drill  Hall,  Queen  Mctoria  Road, 
and  was  under  the  auspices  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance 
Co-uperative  Society,  the  president  of  which  (Mr.  W. 
Jones)  Took  the  chair  at  the  opening  ceremony.      The 


256  I9II 

Mayor  (Alderman  Lee,  J. P.)  formally  declared  the 
exhibition  open,  making  one  of  his  humorous  speeches, 
in  which  he  spoke  of  the  antiquity  of  Co-operation. 
Mr.  Miles  Parkes,  a  director  of  the  Co-operative  Whole- 
sale Society,  also  took  part  in  the  proceedings. 

The  exhibition  was  open  free,  and  attracted  some 
thousands  of  visitors,  who  were  astonished  by  the 
excellence  and  variety  of  goods  "  produced  from  Co- 
operative Capital  in  Co-operative  Factories  by  Trade 
Union  Labour  under  the  best  conditions." 
The  exhibition  included  the  following  : — 

Biscuits  and  sweets  from  Crumpsall,  Manchester  ; 

Preserves,   marmalade,   pickles,   and   vinegar  from 
Middleton  ; 

Boots  and  shoes  from   Leicester,   Heckmondwike, 
and  Rushden  ; 

Soaps  and  candles  from  Irlam,  near  Manchester  ; 

Tobacco  from  Manchester  ; 

Woollen    cloths    and    clothing    from    Batley    and 
Broughton  ; 

Tea  and  Coffee  from  London  ; 

Cocoa  and  chocolates  from  the  Luton  Works  ; 

Shirts,  mantles,  millinery,  and  underclothing  from 
Broughton  ; 

Flannel  from  Littleboro'  ; 

Sweets  from  Silvertown  ; 

Drugs  and  sundries  from  Pelaw  \\'orks  ; 

Corsets  from  Desborough  ; 

Hosiery  from  Huthwaite  ; 

Linings  and  sateens  from  Bury  ; 

Buckets  and  fenders  from  Dudley  ; 

Bacon  from  Tralee  (Ireland)  and  Herning  (Denmark). 


IQII  257 

The  special  working  exliibits  included  soap-milling, 
sweet-boiling,  cigar  and  cigarette  making,  brush-making 
by  hand,  and  manufacture  of  clothing. 

The  exhibition  was  enlivened  by  music  by  a  succession 
of  bands,  also  b}'  several  sampling  stalls,  together  with 
a  Co-operative  refreshment  bar. 

Withal,  the  exhibition  proved  an  efficient  means  of 
advertising  Co-operation  and  the  quality  of  C.W.S. 
productions. 

The  chief  transactions  at  the  society's  meetings  this 
year  had  relation  to  special  votes  of  money  for  beneficent 
purposes,  and  the  purchase  of  land. 

At  the  January  meeting  £ioo  was  contributed  towards 
the  cost  of  the  proposed  new  \nng  of  the  Coventry  and 
War\nckshire  Hospital,  and  -[2  2s.  od.  towards  the 
support  of  poor  boys  who  gained  University  scholarships. 
Inclusive  of  these  amounts  the  society  gave  away  during 
the  year  a  total  sum  of  -^230  lis.  6d. 

At  a  special  meeting  in  April  it  was  resolved  to  buy 
500  yards  of  land  on  Foleshill  Road  for  the  erection 
of  a  branch  store,  and  a  house  in  Victoria  Street,  ad- 
joining the  drapery  store  there.  At  another  special 
meeting  in  July  two  land  purchases  were  contirmed — 
500  yards  at  comer  of  Bray's  Lane,  Stoke  ;  and  350 
yards  of  land  fronting  to  Windsor  Street, by  which  the  back 
land  of  the  branch  store  in  Spon  Street  could  be  utilised. 

The  local  District  Association  reported  to  the  Congress 
at  Portsmouth.  1912  : — "  Coventry  Society  is  also 
expanding  rapidly.  Additional  stores  have  been 
opened,  and  land  acquired  and  plans  prepared  for  more 
in  the  outhing  districts  of  this  rapidly  growing  city. 
The  large  dairv  buildings  are  in  the  builders'  hands. 


258  I9I2 

and  additional  and  extensive  wharfage  has  been  secured 
for  the  increasing  traffic  in  coal." 

The  membership  increased  to  upwards  of  14,000, 
and  the  sales  for  the  year  amounted  to  £311,951  os.  6d., 
being  an  increase  of  £33,759  4s.  2d. 

The  official  census  which  was  taken  in  April  of  this 
year  showed  the  population  had  increased  by  36,399 
since  1901,  or  more  than  52  per  cent.,  the  total  population 
of  the  County  Borough  together  with  that  of  the  rural 
parishes  of  St.  Michael  and  Holy  Trinity  being  returned 
at  106,959. 

During  the  same  period  the  membership  of  the 
Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society  had  in- 
creased from  5,092  to  13,677,  and  the  sales  from  £110,715 
I2S.  od.  in  1901  to  £311,951  OS.  6d.  in  1911. 

1912. 

Merely  as  a  matter  of  local  history,  it  may  be  recorded 
that  after  many  months  of  discussion,  elaborate  organisa- 
tion, and  considerable  advertising,  a  "  Coventry 
Shopping  Week  "  was  held  from  April  29th  to  May  4th, 
1912.  Its  purpose  was  to  "  prove  that  the  Coventry 
Retailers  are  able  and  can  provide  all  that  is  needed 
by  the  purchasing  public." 

And  as  a  historical  fact  it  may  also  be  mentioned 
that  coincidentally  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co- 
operative Society  made  considerable  progress.  During 
the  six  months  ended  June  there  was  a  net  increase 
in  membership  of  997  ;  the  sales  were  £20,352  9s.  9d. 
more  than  in  the  corresponding  period  of  191 1  ;  while 
in  the  twelve  months  ended  October  there  was  an  increase 
in  membership  of  upwards  of  1,600. 


I9I2  259 

At  the  January  meeting  it  was  proposed  and  seconded 
that  the  societ}'  take  up  the  laundry  business,  the  results 
attending  similar  ventures  elsewhere  being  adduced, 
ai:^1  opinions  expressed  that  the  business  would  be  very 
useful  and  a  commercial  success  in  Coventry.  The 
president  informed  the  members  that  the  committee 
had  no  objection  to  the  laundry  business  on  its  merits, 
but  they  asked  that  the  proposal  be  deferred  until  the 
dairy  business  was  started  and  working  successfully. 
Ultimately  the  committee  were  asked  to  make  an 
investigation  and  report. 

Two  women  members  were  responsible  for  a  resolution 
passed  at  the  October  meeting,  Mrs.  Corrie  moving,  and 
Mrs.  Keene  seconding,  "  That  this  meeting  of  members 
instructs  the  delegates  of  the  management  committee 
to  the  next  quarterly  meeting  of  the  Co-operative 
Wholesale  Society  to  vote  for  the  '  minimum  wage  '  to 
be  paid  to  all  Co-operative  Wholesale  Society's 
employees." 

The  society's  contributions  during  the  year  to  bene- 
volent purposes  amounted  to  £77  7s.  6d.,  including 
£10  los.  od.  to  the  Children's  Care  Committee,  £10  los. 
od.  to  the  "  Titanic  "  Disaster  Relief  Fund,  £10  los.  od. 
to  the  Coventry  and  Warwickshire  Hospital,  and  £27 
among  the  several  philanthropic  societies. 

Three  special  meetings  were  held  at  which  conlirmatory 
resolutions  were  passed  with  respect  to  purchases  of 
land  and  property  as  follows  : — 

1.  (July)  Additional  land  at  Swan  Lane,  consisting  of 
2,900  square  yards. 

2.  (October)  The  site  of  a  new  store  at  Kenilworth, 
consisting   of    755    square    3'ards   of    land    on    the 


26o  1912 

Warwick  Road.  It  was  explained  that  Kenilworth 
being  so  scattered,  some  members  had  a  mile  to 
go  to  the  store  in  Park  Road,  and  it  was  believed 
that  a  store  in  the  position  recommended  would 
be  convenient  and  successful. 
3.  (November)  The  premises  adjoining  the  society's 
central  warehouse  in  West  Orchard,  and  lately 
occupied  by  Messrs.  Webster  and  Bennett, 
mechanical  engineers,  with  an  area  of  1,150  square 
yards  and  floor  space  of  9,006  feet,  the  purchase 
including  a  large  weighing  machine,  shafting,  and 
runaway  crane.  These  premises  have  been  con- 
verted into  extensive  show  rooms  for  household 
furniture  with  a  well-designed  and  handsome  new 
front. 
The  capital  outlay  in  respect  of  these  three  purchases 

was  upwards  of  £3,300. 

The    society's    turnover   for    the    year    amounted    to 

£362,759  19s.  9d — an  increase  over  the  preceding  year 

of  £50,808  19s.  3d. 


Chapter  XXXM. 
Our  Model  Dairy 


{Fyom    a   pamphlet    issued    by    the    Committee    in    T013, 

entitled     "  Coventry     Co-operators     and     a 

Pure  Milk  Supply.") 


AT  the  quarterly  meeting  held  on  the  i8th  of 
October,  1910,  of  the  Coventry  Co-operative 
Society,  the  members  instructed  their  manage- 
ment committee  to  establish  a  milk  department.  This 
being  an  entirely  new  business  to  the  society,  steps  were 
immediately  taken,  by  visits  to  kindred  societies  and  by 
consultations  with  experts,  to  ascertain  the  best  methods 
by  which  milk  could  be  procured,  and  should  be  handled 
and  distributed.  As  a  result  of  investigations  it  was 
found  that  a  central  dairy  ^nth  adequate  machinery  was 
a  first  essential,  and  ha\ing  further  considered  the  matter 
in  all  its  bearings,  it  was  decided  : — 

First, — That   the  dairy  should  be  built  on   the  best 

known  lines  ; 
Second. — That  the  equipment  should  be  of  the  latest 
scientific  and  hve:ienic  order  ;    and 


264  OUR   MODEL    DAIRY — 1913 

Third,- — That  its  dimensions  should  be  such  as  to 
provide  for  a  large  and  continuously  growing  mem- 
bership for  many  years  to  come. 

A  dairy — meeting,  as  we  believe,  all  these  require- 
ments— has  just  been  erected  in  Swan  Lane,  and  is  now 
prepared  to  distribute  milk  to  all  parts  of  the  city. 

The  reasons  which  have  induced  the  committee  to 
provide  such  a  complete  and  efftcient  dairy  are  not  only 
that  anything  other  than  the  best  is  unworthy  of  the 
Co-operative  movement,  but  that  the  establishment  of  a 
pure  milk  supply  is  of  inestimable  value  to  any  com- 
munity. Its  appreciation  has  grown  rapidly  of  late 
years,  stimulated  by  the  frequent  advocacy  of  Medical 
Officers  of  Health  and  other  experts  interested  in 
promoting  the  best  hygienic  conditions  of  our  food 
supply  ;  for  milk  is  the  one  perfect  food  which  of  itself 
will  support  life  in  young  or  old  persons.  In  cases  of 
debiUty,  in  the  rearing  of  children,  in  combating  disease, 
in  restoring  the  convalescent,  in  sustaining  the  aged, 
the  first  need  is  pure  milk.  For  the  busy  worker  there 
is  nothing  to  compare  with  it  for  convenience  in  pre- 
paration and  comparative  ease  of  digestion.  As  a 
stimulant  and  restorative  free  from  depressing  after- 
effects hot  milk  is  unsurpassed,  while  merely  as  a 
beverage  nothing  is  more  welcome  than  a  draught  of 
pure,  clean,  wholesome  milk.  In  all  these  considerations 
it  is  essential  that  pure  milk  should  be  provided  under 
the  best  hygienic  conditions  obtainable. 

The  conditions  under  which  milk  offers  a  menace, 
instead  of  a  help  to  health,  have  come  to  be  more  fully 
understood  owing  to  the  researches  of  science.  The 
dangers  to  which  it  is  exposed  are  known  and  are  now 


OUR    MODEL    DAIRY — 1913  265 

capable  of  being  counteracted  by  the  intelligent  adapta- 
tion of  modern  methods  and  skilful  appliances.  The 
enemies  to  be  fought  step  by  step,  from  the  source  of 
supply  to  the  fireside,  are  dirt  and  the  omnipresent  germ. 
The  methods  of  handling,  of  cleansing,  of  storing,  of 
deliver}',  have  each  to  be  carefully  watched,  and  in 
themselves  made  preventive  of  danger.  All  this  has 
to  be  done  \\'ithout  materially  increasing  the  price  to 
the  pubUc  over  that  which  they  have  been  accustomed 
to  pav  for  a  much  less  satisfactory  article. 

Milk  users  rarely  concern  themselves  about  the 
dangers  to  which  they  are  constantly  exposing  them- 
selves bv  the  defects  in  ordinary  methods  of  their  milk 
supply.  They  leave  that  to  the  sanitar\-  inspectors  ; 
but  as  the  law  now  stands,  while  it  is  an  offence  to  sell 
milk  to  which  a  little  pure  water  has  been  added,  yet 
if  the  milk  contains  germs  of  disease,  which  may  entail 
years  of  suffering,  no  notice  can  be  taken  of  it. 

To  ensure  a  pure  milk  supply  four  possible  avenues 
of  danger  have  to  be  closed  : — 

First, — The  danger  of  an  impoverished  milk  supply 
due  to  adulteration  ; 

Second, — The  danger  of  an  infected  milk  supply, 
due  to  disease  in  the  cow,  such  as  tubercle,  scarlatina, 
etc.  ; 

Third, — The  danger  of  a  contaminated  milk  supply, 
such  as  that  which  has  been  responsible  for  epidemics 
of  typhoid,  scarlet  fever,  diphtheria,  etc.  ;   and 

Fourth, ^The  dangers  arising  from  simple  uncle anness, 
defective  dairy  methods,  etc. 

It  is  an  admitted  fact,  and  one  attested  by  many 
fatal   epidemics,  that  infected  milk  may  cause  scarlet 


2b6  OUR    MODEL    DAIRY — 1913 

fever,  typhoid  fever,  diphtheria,  and  severe  sore  throat. 
It  is  also  certain  that  in  some  circumstances  the  milk  of 
tuberculous  cows  ma}^  cause  consumption  in  mankind, 
and  another  danger — perhaps  more  serious  in  the  sum 
of  its  ill  effects  than  all  others  together — arises  from 
merely  unclean  milk.  This  refers  not  only  to  the  odious 
sediment  so  often  seen  iri  milk,  but  also  to  matter  not 
visible  to  the  naked  eye,  derived  from  half-cleaned 
churns,  cans,  jugs,  and  bottles  in  which  the  milk  may 
have  been  contained  at  some  time. 

The  equipment  of  our  model  dairy  has  been  so  designed 
that  all  the  aforementioned  dangers  are  entirely  avoided. 
The  dairy  itself  is  situated  in  Swan  Lane,  and  stands  upon 
high  ground,  well  back  from  the  road  so  as  to  avoid 
dust,  and  faces  west.  As  befits  a  Co-operative  enterprise, 
the  building  is  of  the  soundest  construction,  is  of  well 
finished  appearance,  and  set  off  with  a  shiTibbery  in 
front.  The  exterior  is  of  brick  red,  with  stone  facings, 
and  character  is  given  to  it  by  the  finely  carved  head  of 
a  representative  type  of  dairy  cattle.  Another  decora- 
tive and  yet  historically  valuable  feature  is  a  tablet 
inscribed  with  the  names  of  the  society's  present  board 
of  directors. 

Passing  in  through  the  main  gates  we  come  to  the 
loading  deck  for  receiving  milk  and  sending  it  out  again. 
This  deck  is  about  44  feet  in  length,  and  affords  ample 
accommodation.  On  the  right  hand  side  of  the  main 
entrance  in  the  south  wing  of  the  building  is  the  bottle 
inspection  department,  which  opens  into  the  bottle 
washing  room,  a  spacious  compartment,  40  feet  b}'  30 
feet.  Attached  to  this  is  the  general  store.  Next  to  the 
bottle    inspection    department    is    the    chum-washing 


PASTEURISING   AND    CLEANSING    MACHINES. 


BOTTLE    WASHING    MACHINES. 


OUR    MODEL    DAIRY  — 1913  2G9 

room,  quite  separate,  in  which  is  sunk  a  well.  On  the 
left  of  the  main  passage  is  seen  the  cold  lobby,  with  cold 
storage  rooms  on  either  side.  These  are  constructed  on 
the  most  hygienic  lines  possible,  being  lined  with  white 
glazed  tiles  on  the  walls,  and  with  hard  mastic  rock 
asphalte  on  the  floor. 

All  milk  not  required  for  immediate  use  is  put  into 
these  cold  rooms  until  next  day,  and  no  change  whatever 
takes  place  in  the  nature  of  the  milk  so  kept.  The  cold 
rooms  are  so  arranged  that  a  circulation  of  cold  dry 
air  is  maintained  at  35/40  degrees  F.  while  the  plant 
is  at  work,  and  the  temperature  is  kept  steady  during 
the  night  and  while  the  plant  is  at  rest  by  large  retainers 
fuU  of  brine.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  passage  is  the 
refrigerator  room,  pasteuriser  room,  cooler  and  bottle- 
filling  rooms.  The  end  of  the  wing  is  taken  up  by  the 
boiler-house  and  pumping-room. 

The  main  portion  of  the  building  is  on  the  ground 
floor,  but  there  is  a  store  above  the  boiler-house  ;  also 
a  testing-room  and  suitable  accommodation  for  the 
employees. 

All  the  sanitar>^  out-buildings  are  placed  a  good  distance 
from  the  main  premises.  All  parts  o."  the  building  are 
well  lighted,  principally  from  roof  hghts.  The  interiors 
of  the  walls  are  of  glazed  bricks  of  various  colours,  not 
only  for  ensuring  absolute  cleanliness  but  gi\nng  quite 
a  pleasing  appearance.  It  is  electrically  fitted  through- 
out for  lighting  and  power  purposes,  and  the  current 
taken  from  the  city  mains.  The  water  required  will  be 
drawn  from  the  well  sunk  on  the  premises,  but  for 
emergencv  purposes  the  city  supply  is  also  available. 
A  large  quantity  of  boiling  water  will  always  be  required 


270  OUR    MODEL    DAIRY       I9I3 

for  washing  purposes,  and  steam  for  this  will  be  supplied 
from  a  Cornish  boiler. 

It  is  a  point  worthy  of  note  that  b}^  employing 
machinery  for  cleansing  the  bottles  and  crates,  boiling 
water  can  be  used,  which  is  impossible  when  this  process 
has  to  be  carried  out  b}'  hand. 

Provision  is  made  for  dealing  with  6,000  gallons  of 
milk  per  week,  but  the  building  will  accommodate 
plant  for  dealing  with  double  that  quantity.  It  should 
not  be  long  before  this  is  wanted,  when  the  public  of 
Coventry  once  realise  the  improvement  offered  by 
means  of  our  dairy  for  suppl}dng  milk,  whose  quality 
and  purity  can  be  thoroughly  relied  upon. 

An  outline  can  only  be  given  of  the  process  through 
which  the  milk  passes.  It  may  be  interesting  to  state 
that  the  milk  upon  being  brought  in  is  measured  in  a 
standard  measuring  drum  having  a  gauge  inside,  so 
that  the  quantity  of  milk  taken  into  the  dairy  from  the 
persons  supplying  can  be  accurately  ascertained. 

The  Milk  Drum. 
From  this  drum  the  milk  is  pumped  by  a  specially 
constructed  pump  provided  with  suction  and  discharge 
connections  and  bye-pass  flow  adjuster,  so  that  the 
quantity  of  milk  pumped  can  be  regulated  without 
stopping  or  slowing  the  pump.  The  piping  through 
which  the  milk  passes  is  of  a  special  sanitary  type,  with 
cleaning  plugs  at  various  points,  so  that  the  pipes  can 
be  thoroughly  cleansed  and  sterilised. 

The  Pump. 
These  pipes  convey  the  milk  to  an  overhead  tinned 
steel  tank  with  a  capacity  of  about  150  gallons.     From 


OUK    MODEL    DAIRY       KJIJ  J7I 

this  tank  the  milk  is  distributed  over  a  warmer,  which 
heats  the  milk  to  about  go  degrees,  and  it  then  flows  into 
a  cleansing  and  dirt  extracting  machine. 

Pasteurising  and  Cleansing  Machines, 
The  fact  that  the  milk  is  liable  originally  to  contain 
a  good  deal  of  dust,  and  in  addition  to  take  up  dust 
and  dirt  in  its  passage  from  point  to  point,  makes 
cleansing  a  most  important  process.  No  amount  of 
straining  will  take  this  fine  dust  out  of  milk,  and  as  the 
dust  forms  one  of  the  chief  habitats  for  harmful  micro- 
organisms, it  is  necessary  to  extract  the  dust,  and  this 
is  done  by  the  centrifugal  milk-cleansing  machine.  This 
machine  is  specially  built  for  this  purpose,  and  so  con- 
structed that  it  does  not  separate  the  cream  or  cause 
the  milk  to  foam,  but  effectually  takes  out  the  dust 
and  dirt  in  a  very  elhcient  manner.  From  the  cleaner, 
the  milk  flows  into  a  pasteuriser,  and  here  undergoes 
a  very  important  process. 

Pasteurisation  kills  all  active  forms  of  harmful  germs, 
and  it  delays  decomposition,  so  that  the  milk  remains 
fresh  and  sweet  for  a  longer  time.  The  milk  is  rendered 
more  digestible,  its  flavour  is  quite  unaltered,  the  fat 
and  lactalbumen  are  unchanged,  and  it  furnishes  a 
complete  safeguard  against  any  risk  of  infectious 
disease  conveyed  by  milk. 

Pasteuriser. 
The  pasteuriser  is  a  machine  consisting  of  a  tinned 
copper  vessel  pro\dded  with  a  steam  jacket.  The  milk 
is  let  into  the  tinned  copper  vessel  and  heated  up  to 
about  170  F.,  and  then  the  milk  is  automatically  elevated 
bv  this  machine  on  to  a  cooler. 


272  our  model  dairy — 1913 

Milk  Cooler. 

The  milk  reaches  the  cooler  at  about  167  degrees, 
and  is  reduced  in  temperature  first  of  all  to  about  60/65 
degrees  b}^  water  circulation  inside  the  cooler,  and  is 
then  reduced  further  to  about  40/45  degrees  by  cold 
brine  circulation  in  the  bottom  part  of  the  cooler.  The 
milk  leaves  the  cooler  at  a  very  low  temperature,  and 
runs  direct  into  the  receiving  tank  of  the  bottHng 
machine. 

The  botthng  of  the  milk  is  a  most  interesting  and 
important  feature.  The  milk  bottling  machine  is 
arranged  to  fill  12  quart,  20  pint,  or  20  half-pint  bottles 
at  one  stroke,  and  it  delivers  the  milk  straight  into  the 
bottles  and  fills  them  up  to  exactly  the  same  level, 
securing  the  utmost  accuracy  and  cleanliness  in  the 
operation.  The  bottles  of  cooled  milk  are  then  put 
into  the  cold  store  rooms. 

Another  important  feature  in  our  dairy  is  the  efficient 
cleansing  of  utensils,  and  special  machinery  has  been 
installed  for  this  purpose. 

Bottle  Washing  Machine. 
When  a  crate  of  dirty  bottles  comes  in  it  is  soaked 
and  put  into  tlie  cleansing  machine.  There  the  bottles 
and  the  crate  are  cleaned  inside  and  out,  without  the 
bottles  leaving  the  crate  at  all.  Having  been  inspected, 
the  crates  of  cleaned  bottles  are  then  filled  with  milk, 
and  capped  with  fibre  discs,  the  bottle  never  leaving  the 
crate  until  a  full  bottle  is  handed  to  the  consumer,  and 
a  dirty  one  put  back  into  the  crate.  The  thorough 
cleansing  and  sterilising  which  the  bottles  receive  in 
the  washing  and  sterilising  machines  is  an  invaluable 


OUR    MODEL    DAIRY — 1913  273 

part  of   the  process.      Special  provision   is   also  made 
for  the  cleansing  and  sterilising  of  the  milk  chums. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  whole  plant  has  been  designed 
udth  a  \new  to  efficient  and  economical  working.  x\ll 
the  machinery  has  been  supplied  by  Messrs.  Enock 
and  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  London,  one  of  the  first  engineering 
firms  in  the  country  making  dairy  machinery.  The 
motive  power  will  be  electricity,  and  everything  has 
been  done  to  bring  the  dairy  fully  up  to  date  in  every 
detail.  We  can  confidently  claim  it  to  be  a  model  in 
its  equipment,  and  that  it  will  turn  out  really  pure 
wholesome  milk  of  the  very  highest  hygienic  quaiit\'. 
Summed  up  in  terse  style,  the  advantages  of  our  new 
method  of  milk  delivery  are  : — 

1.  No  dirty  or  rusty  cans. 

2.  All  milk  delivered  in  perfectly  clean  transparent 
bottles. 

3.  Protection    from    contamination    from    bacteria- 
laden  dust  of  streets. 

4.  Absolute  purity  ;    all  bottles  are  filled  and  sealed 
at  the  dairy. 

5.  Freedom  from  objectionable  sediment. 

6.  Full  measure  guaranteed. 

The  management  committee  now  ask  their  fellow 
members,  and  also  the  general  public,  to  give  the 
society's  model  dairy  milk  a  trial,  as  the}*  are  confident 
that  after  doing  so  no  one  will  wish  to  return  to  the 
unhygienic  methods  of  supply. 

Our  model  dairy  was  opened  on  5th  April,  and  its  pro- 
ducts have  elicited  the  highest  praise  from  all  consumers. 

Owing,  however,  to  certain  circumstances,  the  bottle 
system  has  been  suspended. 


Chapter  XXX VII. 


1913  AND  1914  (to  July) 


1913- 

SE\^ERAL  special  incidents  characterised  the 
year  1913.  The  membership  increased  by  1,542, 
and  the  sales  improved  over  those  of  the  pre- 
ceding year  by  £31,461  13s.  iid. 

The  votes  for  benevolent  purposes  included  £100  to 
the  Welsh  Mining  Disaster  Relief  Fund,  and  amounted 
in  all  to  £182  7s.  6d. 

Two  purchases  of  land  were  resolved  upon.  The 
first,  in  January,  was  a  site  containing  some  763  yards, 
having  a  frontage  to  Humber  Road  of  76  feet  and  to 
Hollis  Road  of  96  feet,  costing  about  £300  ;  the  second, 
in  April,  a  site  at  Walsgrave-on-Sowe  consisting  of 
358  square  yards,  with  a  frontage  of  45  feet,  and  costing 
about  £71.  With  reference  to  this  second  site  it  was 
stated  that  the  society  did  a  considerable  trade  in 
Walsgrave  and  District  by  van,  and  it  was  thought 
likely  that  trade  would  be  increased  b}^  opening  a  suitable 
store  there. 

Of  a  much  more  important  character  was  a  third 
recommendation.  It  was  to  purchase  the  comer  pre- 
mises adjoining  the  Central  Stores,  known  as  the  boot 


I9I3  275 

repairing  establishment  of  "  The  Wonderful  Gibnev," 
having  a  frontage  to  Fleet  Street  of  30  feet  and  to  West 
Orchard  of  45  feet.  By  the  purchase  the  society  would 
become  the  owners  of  an  extensive  comer  block.  The 
price,  £3,500,  included  goodwill,  machinery,  fittings, 
and  fixtures.  The  matter  was  discussed,  and  not  all 
the  members  were  at  first  agreed,  the  price  appearing 
to  be  rather  "  stiff,"  but  it  was  pointed  out  that  the  site 
was  an  important  one,  and  that  good  positions  had  to 
be  paid  for.  This  was  really  the  key  of  a  commanding 
position,  and  would  facilitate  the  maturing  of  plans  for 
a  complete  range  of  premises  of  a  striking  character. 
The  purchase  was  confirmed.  These  premises,  after 
being  retained  for  a  short  time  as  a  boot  repairing  shop, 
have  been  replaced  by  a  handsome  stone  building 
surmounted  by  a  dome,  with  internal  fittings  of  the 
most  modern  style,  and  devoted  to  men's  tailoring  and 
outfitting  departments. 

An  incident  occurred  at  the  quarterly  meeting  in 
January  which  eventuated  in  an  important  change. 
The  tellers  in  the  voting  for  election  to  the  committee 
handed  in  their  return,  and  this  was  announced  to  the 
meeting.  Subsequently  it  was  discovered  there  had 
been  an  error  in  the  counting,  36  votes  having  been 
allocated  to  the  wrong  name.  This  aftected  the  relative 
positions  of  two  candidates,  one  of  whom  had  been 
declared  elected,  whereas  the  majority  had  really  gone 
against  him.  On  the  advice  of  the  solicitor  of  the 
Co-operative  Union,  special  meetings  were  held,  the 
declaration  rescinded,  and  a  fresh  vote  taken,  when  the 
first  real  voting  was  confirmed  by  a  considerable  majority. 
There  was  a  general  feeling,  however,  in  favour  of  an 


276  I9I3 

improved  method  of  voting.  Having  carefully  con- 
sidered the  matter,  the  committee  came  forward  in 
December  with  a  ballot  system  on  the  general  lines 
of  that  prescribed  for  ParHamentary  elections.  With  a 
slight  amendment,  accepted  by  the  committee,  the 
scheme  was  adopted,  and  the  rules  of  the  society  altered 
accordingly. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  year  a  proposal  was  made 
for  an  entirely  new  departure  b}^  the  societ}^  This  was 
the  direct  emplojrment  of  labour  in  the  building  trades 
in  all  its  sections,  and  at  the  quarterly  m.eeting  in 
October  a  special  committee  was  appointed  to  make 
enquiries  and  report  with  suggestions. 

The  report  to  Congress  at  Dublin  by  the  Coventry 
District  Association  contained  the  following  summary 
of  the  society's  progress  in  1913  : — "  At  Coventry  all 
things  have  prospered.  New  stores  have  had  to  be 
opened  at  Stoke  and  on  the  Foleshill  Road,  and  the  dairy 
machinery  supplemented  and  completed.  This  branch  of 
the  society's  business  is  now  in  a  flourishing  condition, 
and  is  gro\\ang  rapidly  week  by  week.  A  start  is  being 
made  with  a  works  department  to  take  over  the  building 
operations  and  other  similar  work,  and  there  is  plenty 
of  work  waiting  for  it  to  do.  Trade  and  membership 
have  increased  very  much,  and  are  still  doing  so. 

"  The  work  of  the  various  educational  committees 
and  Women's  Guilds  should  be  noted,  as  their  efforts 
to  promote  Co-operation  in  this  district  have  met  with 
much  success,  and  we  are  grateful  to  them  for  all  their 
help." 

The  report  concluded  with  a  tribute  to  the  memory 
of  one  who  had  also  been  a  respected  member  of  the 


1914  (part  of)  277 

committee  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative 
Society — "  We  regret  to  have  to  record  the  death  of 
our  colleague,  Mr.  A.  T.  Keene  (Coventry),  who  passed 
away  after  a  severe  illness  on  12th  February,  1914.  He 
had  been  for  nearlv  ten  years  a  member  of  this  district 
committee." 

1914  (part  of). 

The  year  1914  having  been  so  eventful,  it  will  be 
convenient  to  divide  the  history  of  it  into  two  portions — 
the  first  from  January  to  July,  and  the  second  the  five 
first  months  of  the  War  period. 

At  the  January  meeting  the  special  committee 
appointed  in  October  presented  their  report  in  favour 
of  setting  up  a  works  department,  the  management 
committee  assenting  with  the  proviso  that  the  works 
department  sub-committee  should  be  appointed  by  the 
general  committee,  who  were  responsible  to  the  members 
for  the  conduct  of  the  whole  of  the  business  of  the 
society.     The  report  was  thus  adopted. 

This  being  the  occasion  for  nominating  a  woman  mem- 
ber of  the  educational  committee,  Mrs.  Shufflebotham. 
whose  term  would  expire  three  months  later,  expressed 
her  wish  not  to  be  re-nominated.  Mrs.  Shufflebotham 
had  served  on  that  committee  continuously  since  1898 
(=ee  Chapter  XXVIL),  and  a  vote  of  thanks  for  her 
long  services  was  carried  unanimously. 

A  movement  for  keener  recognition  of  trade  unionism 
culminated  at  the  April  meeting,  when  it  was  resolved 
that  all  employees  should  be  or  become  members  of  their 
respective  trade  organisations,  unless  past  age. 

At  a  meeting  in  June  it  was  decided  to  enlarge  the 
committee   to  president,   secretary,   and  ten   members, 


278  1914  (part  of) 

each  of  the  latter  to  serve  two  years  and  be  ehgible  for 
re-election. 

In  July  the  committee  brought  forward  a  recommenda- 
tion to  take  on  lease  from  the  Freemen's  Trustees  a 
plot  of  land,  398  square  yards  in  extent,  on  Albany 
Road,  for  a  new  store,  at  a  ground-rent  of  £5  per  annum. 
Se\Tral  members  spoke  against  the  recommendation, 
and  it  was  ultimately  referred  back  to  the  committee 
for  three  months'  reconsideration.  The  committee's 
recommendation  that  they  have  power  to  buy  a  plot  of 
land,  Radford  Road,  286  yards  in  extent,  with  a  frontage 
of  30  feet,  belonging  to  the  Newcombe  Estates  Company, 
was  confirmed. 

A  society  that  is  registered  under  the  Industrial  and 
Provident  Societies  Act,  1893,  amended  1913,  is  under 
the  obligation  of  causing  its  accounts  to  be  audited  at 
least  once  a  year  by  a  public  auditor,  an  ofhcial  appointed 
b}^  the  Treasury. 

The  Perseverance  Society  being  so  registered,  the 
system  of  elective  auditors  was  brought  to  an  end.  At 
the  meetnig  on  January  20th,  therefore,  the  committee 
had  reminded  the  members  of  the  position  of  the  society 
under  the  Act,  and  recommended  that  the  audit  be 
placed  with  the  Co-operative  Wholesale  Society.  The 
recommendation  was  adopted,  and  this  arrangement  has 
been  continued. 


Chapter  XXXVIII. 
The  War  Period. 


August,  1914,  to  October,  1916. 

"  When  war  begins,  then  hell  openeth." — Old  Proverb. 

THE  great  European  War,  the  most  stupendous 
the  world  has  seen,  will  ever  be  remembered  b}' 
the  present  generation,  and  when  personal 
recollections  begin  to  pale,  then  sober  historians  will 
take  up  the  tale.  How  long  warfare  uill  continue, 
even  now  (November,  1916)  none  can  foretell.  It  has 
been  waging  for  over  two-and-a-quarter  years,  and  the 
testing  of  Britain's  strength  and  that  of  her  Allies  has 
not  yet  passed. 

War's  Immediate  Effects. 

With  the  declaration  of  war  in  August,  1914,  the 
Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Societ}-  was  called 
upon  to  share  in  the  National  tribulation  and  to  manifest 
its  patriotism.     It  has  done  both. 

At  least  live  kinds  of  difficulties  arose.  These  were 
in  relation  to  military  requisitions  ;  railway  traffic  ; 
shortness  in  supplies  ;  increasing  prices  ;  less  man- 
power.    The  society  has  ^\^thstood  all  these. 


28o  THE    ^VAR    PERIOD 

Then  there  were  the  various  funds  by  which  all 
classes  had  an  opportunity  of  showing  their  patriotic 
spirit  ;  heavier  taxation  ;  various  measures  for  the 
defence  of  the  realm.  In  respect  to  all  these  things  the 
society  has  adopted  no  mean  attitude. 

First,  horses  and  vehicles  were  commandeered  ;  next 
train  services  were  either  suspended  or  disorganised, 
and  as  a  consequence  supplies  of  goods  became  shortened 
and  intermittent.  Men  of  the  National  Service  reserves 
were  called  from  their  peaceful  labours  to  join  the  fighting 
forces,  others  to  make  munitions  of  war  ;  voluntary 
enlistment  was  started,  and  for  the  time  being  the  best 
laid  schemes  did  "  gang  agley."  Students  of  foreign 
politics  and  militarism,  the  ambitions  of  dynasties,  were 
convinced  that  the  war  would  be  on  an  appalling  scale, 
that  men,  and  more  men,  and  still  more  men  would  be 
required,  and  every  nerve  would  have  to  be  strained  to 
prevent  the  Empire  from  being  overthrown.  A  great 
scarcity  of  the  necessaries  of  life  was  feared,  and  many 
people  predicted  a  collapse  of  trade.  The  legend 
"  Business  as  usual  "  was  displayed  in  many  shop- 
windows,  only  to  be  laughed  at,  and  proved  to  be  futile 
in  allaying  pessimistic  apprehensions.  Such  a  war  had 
not  been  thought  possible,  and  at  its  starting  there  was 
general  consternation.  Prices  began  to  rise,  stocks  were 
withheld  in  hopes  of  greater  gain,  visitors  to  the  seaside 
hurriedly  returned,  and  the  idea  spread  that  the  British 
people  were  threatened  with  starvation.  For  a  time 
there  was  something  in  the  nature  of  a  panic.  Shops 
were  besieged  by  customers,  and  inordinate  quantities 
of  goods  sought  to  be  purchased  for  the  filling  of  larders. 
Usually  cool-headed   Co-operative  housewives   became 


THE    WAR    PERIOD  281 

alarmed,  and  the  crisis  was  worsened  by  mistaken 
pre -vision.  The  Stores  had  actually  to  be  closed  as  a 
preventive  measure,  the  while  stocks  could  be  replenish- 
ed ;   but  excessive  demands  continued  for  several  weeks. 

^Meantime,  the  management  were  not  idle  ;  fortunately 
they  were  able  to  secure  other  horses  and  vehicles,  bv 
means  of  which  trade  was  maintained,  although  it  was 
far  from  being  "  Business  as  usual  !  "  Events  moved 
rapidly.  From  time  to  time  other  men  were  called  up, 
and  the  society  encouraged  volunteering  as  far  as 
possible.  Schemes  were  thought  out  for  "  carr3dng  on  " 
in  the  interests  of  the  general  body  of  members. 
Gradually  female  labour  was  introduced  to  replace 
that  of  the  men  who  had  left,  and  to  liberate  others. 
A  liberal  plan  of  "  maintenance  allowance  "  was 
adopted,  and  in  many  ways  the  loyalty  of  the  society 
was  demonstrated. 

And  not  only  were  the  first  necessities  of  life  for 
existing  co-operators  restricted,  but  new  demands  were 
created  by  an  inflow  of  members.  Sugar  supplies 
became  a  most  difficult  problem.  Government  stepped 
in,  and  having  bought  up  available  stocks,  enforced 
limitations  based  on  three-fourths  only  of  the  quantities 
obtainable  by  distributors  in  1914.  Then  coal  became 
not  altogether  a  "  burning  "  subject,  for  little  could  be 
obtained  to  burn  :  there  were  accumulations  at  collieries, 
but  railway  rolling-stock  could  not  be  liberated  by  the 
authorities  to  convey  it  to  the  places  where  it  was 
wanted.  Restricted  supplies  and  high  cost,  plus  fresh 
taxation,  have  affected  all  kinds  of  commodities,  and 
unfortunately  are  likely  to  continue  to  do  so  indefinitely. 
Changing  situations,  varving  only  in  degrees  of  acuteness, 


282  THE    WAR   PERIOD 

have  had  to  be  dealt  with,  and  in  their  measures  the 
committee  have  endeavoured  to  serve  the  best  interests 
of  the  members  collectively.  The  times  have  called  for 
intelligent  action  in  accordance  with  the  Co-operative 
motto  :   "  Each  for  all,  and  all  for  each." 

The  attitude  of  the  society  and  of  the  committee  of 
management  will  be  reflected  in  a  resume  of  the  proceed- 
ings during  the  period  under  review — August,  1914,  to 
October,  1916. 

Gratifying  Progress  of  the  Society. 

In  July,  1914,  the  number  of  members  was  18,898. 
In  October,  1916,  it  was  reported  to  be  22,561,  being 
an  increase  of  3,663,  more  than  2,300  of  whom  were 
enrolled  in  1915.  That  notwithstanding  restricted 
supplies,  higher  prices,  reduced  parcels  deliveries,  and 
other  adverse  circumstances,  the  membership  increased 
so  substantially,  speaks  volumes.  It  may  be  fairly 
taken  to  indicate  both  faith  in  Co-operation  and  con- 
fidence in  the  Perseverance  Society.  Many  and  severe 
have  been  the  society's  trials  in  former  years,  but  that 
it  has  so  far  endured  such  an  unprecedented  testing, 
and  actually  waxed  stronger,  must  certainly  be  a  source 
of  encouragement  to  all  concerned. 

Branxh  Store  Policy  Continued. 

Despite  the  war,  and  the  abnormal  conditions  existing 
in  the  city,  the  committee  have  maintained  their  policy 
of  providing  for  the  wants  of  a  growing  population  in 
various  parts  of  the  locality.  Certain  of  their  proposals 
have  fallen  through  owing  to  the  vendors  insisting  on 
requirements  which  the  committee  were  not  prepared 


THE    WAR    PERIOD  283 

to  recommend.  The  transactions  have,  nevertheless, 
been  somewhat  remarkable  for  a  period  of  war. 

Further  consideration  having  been  given  to  the 
question  of  the  leasing  of  land  in  Albany  Road,  which 
had  been  referred  back  to  them  in  the  preceding  July, 
the  committee  repeated  the  recommendation  at  a  meeting 
on  September  6th,  1914.  What  had  been  done  in  the 
meantime  was  fully  explained,  and  the  members  gave 
the  proposal  their  endorsement. 

The  purchase  of  a  small  plot  of  land  adjoining  the 
society's  property,  34,  Bishop  Street,  was  sanctioned 
at  a  meeting  on  October  15th,  1915,  and  likewise  the 
purchase  of  700  square  yards  of  land  at  the  rear  of  the 
bakery  in  Cox  Street,  to  provide  for  bakery  extension. 

Yet  again  a  land  purchase  proposal  was  brought  up 
at  a  meeting  on  April  i8th,  1916,  when  confirmation 
was  given  to  the  bupng  of  3,025  square  yards  of  land 
at  Spon  End,  with  several  cottages  thereon.  The  price 
agreed  upon  was  £1,000.  The  property  was  let  at  a  rental 
of  £100  a  3'ear,  but  the  members  were  informed  that  some 
of  the  cottages  would  have  to  be  renovated  or  closed. 

War  Fund  and  other  Contributions. 

Considerable  contributions  have  been  made  by  the 
society  to  various  war  funds.  On  September  6th,  1914. 
the  sum  of  £500  was  authorised  to  be  drawn  from  the 
reserve  fund  for  a  contribution  to  the  Prince  of  Wales's 
fund.  Several  members  expressed  an  opinion  that  the 
money  should  be  used  solely  for  the  relief  of  civil  distress 
caused  b}-  the  war,  and  not  for  soldiers  and  sailors,  who 
should  be  cared  for  by  the  State.  The  president,  and 
Messrs.  Harris  and  Cundliffe,  who  were  all  members  of  the 


284  THE   WAR    PERIOD 

Relief  Committee,  promised  to  do  all  that  was  possible 
towards  this  end.  Apparently  a  feeling  existed  that 
some  formal  expression  of  opinion  touching  this  matter 
was  advisable,  for  on  October  20th,  at  the  quarterly 
meeting  the  following  resolution  was  moved  by  Mr. 
W.  E.  Wood,  and,  having  been  seconded,  it  was  carried  : 
"  That  we,  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative 
Societ}-,  Limited,  having  recognised  our  responsibihty 
through  our  grant  to  the  Prince  of  Wales's  fund,  desire 
to  express  our  opinion  to  the  proper  authorities  that  the 
time  is  opportune  and  in  the  best  interests  of  the  nation, 
that  the  Government  should  adequately  provide  for  the 
dependents  of  our  soldiers  and  sailors  who  are  fighting 
the  nation's  battles,  thereby  relieving  the  Prince  of 
Wales's  fund,  and  enabling  it  to  meet  all  phases  of  civil 
distress  in  a  more  liberal  and  satisfactory  manner." 
At  the  same  meeting  the  committee  were  empowered  to 
spend  £25  for  the  Belgian  relief  locally  if  required.  Other 
contributions  included  £50  to  the  Mayor's  Fund  for 
Coventry  Soldiers  and  Sailors'  Day  ;  gifts  to  employees 
in  Army,  £2  2s.  od.  ;  £10  to  the  Grocery  and  Allied 
Trades  Fund  in  aid  of  the  Order  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem 
and  the  British  Red  Cross  Society  ;  and  £10  to  the  Lord 
Roberts  Memorial  Workshops  for  Disabled  Soldiers  and 
Sailors  Fund.  It  may  also  be  mentioned  that  in  1915 
the  annual  subscription  to  the  Coventry  and  Warwick- 
shire Hospital  was  increased  from  ten  guineas  to  twenty 
guineas ;  and  that  in  April,  191 6,  ten  guineas  were  voted 
towards  the  fund  for  the  Women's  Hostel,  Coventry. 
In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  some  hundreds  of  pounds 
have  already  been  paid  to  dependents  of  employees  in 
the  National   Service. 


THE   WAR   PERIOD  2S5 

Committee's  First  Report  in  War  Time. 

When  the  committee  came  before  the  members  at 
the  quarterly  meeting  in  October,  1914,  the  war  was  of 
course  the  subject  that  was  uppermost  in  everyone's 
mind.  In  their  report  the  committee  said  :  "  Little 
did  we  think  that  before  the  close  of  this  quarter  the 
country  would  be  at  war,  and  trade,  as  you  are  aware, 
upset  as  a  consequence.  Fortunately,  we  are  getting 
supplies,  although  limited  in  some  goods,  and  at  advanced 
rate  of  prices  ;  these,  if  continued,  and  if  the  war  lasts 
is  almost  sure  to  be  the  case,  will  naturall}'  affect  the 
profits  in  most  departments.  W'e  cannot  help  this, 
but  we  can,  by  our  loyalty  to  our  own  store  in  making 
all  the  purchases  possible  in  all  departments,  so  that 
with  the  best  endeavour  of  the  committee  to  supply 
members  at  as  reasonable  prices  as  possible,  the  society 
may  not  suffer  in  trade.  It  is  an  anxious  time  for  all, 
but  the  co-operative  movement,  with  the  united  efforts 
of  committee  and  members,  will  come  through  and  still 
continue  to  prosper."  The  committee  specially  appealed 
for  all  possible  support  for  the  drapery,  boot,  furniture, 
and  clothing  departments.  Although  the  sales  had 
increased  by  /io,056  in  value  over  the  corresponding 
quarter  of  the  previous  year,  it  was  necessary  to  take 
£548  2s.  gjd.  from  the  di\4dend  equalisation  fund  to 
pay  the  customary  dividend  of  2  '6  in  the  pound  on 
members'  purchases. 

What  the  District  Association  said. 

The  following  paragraphs  are  extracted  from  the 
report  of  the  Coventry  District  Association  presented 
to  the  Leicester  Congress,  1915  : — 


286  THE    WAR   PERIOD 

"  It  is  gratifying,  at  the  close  of  the  year  1914,  to  be 
able  to  report  that,  taking  all  things  into  consideration, 
the  societies  in  the  district  promise  to  come  out  very 
much    stronger    and    sounder    than    might    have    been 

expected Reports  show  that,  in  spite  of  serious 

dislocation  caused  by  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  by  the 
upleap  in  prices,  by  the  absence  of  many  trusted  em- 
ployees, and  by  difficulties  in  transport  and  supply, 
good  progress  has  been  maintained,  and  that  the  loyalty 
of  members,  although  tested  in  many  ways,  has  stood 
the  strain  in  a  remarkable  degree,  giving  promise  when 
peace  conditions  again  prevail  of  a  progress  far  exceeding 
all  previous  records. 

"  Coventry  society  reports  total  sales  in  1914  of 
;;^439,i45,  an  increase  for  the  year  of  £44,924,  and  a 
large  increase  in  the  membership.  Passing  through 
a  very  trying  time  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  the 
better  sense  of  the  members  soon  recovered  its  balance, 
and  although  troubled  through  bad  supplies,  through 
limited  railway  accommodation,  and  other  causes,  the 
normal  state  of  trade  (except  in  prices)  has  now  been 
almost  resumed,  and  trade  is  going  on  as  before.  No 
special  additions  to  the  property  of  the  society  have 
been  completed,  but  a  fine  block  section  of  the  new 
central  premises  scheme  is  in  the  builders'  hands,  and 
hastening  towards  completion.  Three  new  branches 
will  be  erected  during  1915,  and  other  developments 
are  in  contemplation. 

"  A  tribute  to  the  work  of  the  various  Women's 
Guilds  and  Educational  Committees  should  be  paid, 
as  much  of  the  progress  of  societies  in  the  district  is 
due  to  their  untiring  efforts  on  behalf  of  the  movement." 


I 


the  war  period  287 

Retirement  of  Mr.  Jones  from  Educationist 
Committee. 
The  retirement  of  the  president  (Mr.  Jones)  from  the 
Educational  Committee  was  communicated  to  the 
quarterly  meeting  in  January,  1915.  Mr.  J.  Clay  there- 
upon voiced  the  regret  of  the  members  at  the  official 
severance  of  ]\Ir.  Jones  from  the  educational  work  of 
the  society,  and  moved  that  an  acknowledgment  of  the 
great  services  he  had  rendered  in  that  behalf  for  many 
3^ears  be  entered  on  the  minutes.  Mr.  Wm.  Adams 
seconded  the  motion,  which  was  carried  unanimously. 
The  president,  thanking  the  members  for  their  kind 
resolution,  explained  that  he  did  not  now  feel  able  to 
give  the  time  required  for  both  the  committee  of  manage- 
ment and  the  educational  committee  ;  but  he  resigned 
his  place  on  the  latter  very  regretfully. 

Business  Difficulties  and  Committee's  Reports. 

The  events  of  the  last  two  years  are  too  well  known 
to  require  more  than  a  brief  recapitulation.  Of  the 
difficulties  with  regard  to  coal  supplies,  the  necessary 
hmitation  of  sales  to  members,  and  the  doling  out 
"  black  diamonds  "  with  the  care  of  costl}'  jewels  ;  of 
the  rise  in  the  price  of  flour,  and  the  falling  off  in  quanti- 
ties ;  of  the  eternal  sugar  shortness  and  uncertainty 
of  the  Sugar  Commission's  rulings  ;  of  the  constant 
ebbing  away  of  labour  ;  of  milk  difficulties  ;  of  the 
famine  in  eggs  ;  of  the  general  rise  in  the  price  of 
commodities  of  all  kinds  ;  of  the  necessity'  of  sacrifice 
and  inconvenience  being  patiently  borne  ;  of  the  large 
amount  payable  to  retained  employees  by  way  of  war 
bonus  on  wages  ;    of  the  considerable  sums  being  paid 


2g0  THE    WAR    PERIOD 

getting  supplies  from  wholesale  houses,  and  also  in 
transit  by  rail.  Your  committee  are  doing  all  possible 
to  get  them,  but  owing  to  the  high  prices  ruling  and  this 
difficulty  of  supply  it  behoves  members  to  economise  as 
much  as  possible  and  avoid  all  waste.  Those  of  you 
who  read  the  Co-operative  Xeivs  will  have  seen  that  a 
great  desire  is  expressed  by  a  large  number  of  members 
of  the  movement  that  some  steps  should  be  taken  to 
get  at  the  sources  of  supply,  and  doubtless  more  will  be 
heard  of  this  question.  The  greater  loyalty  of  our 
members  will  make  this  thing  easier — by  making 
greater  demands  through  the  Co-operative  movement 
for  all  our  wants." 

In  their  report  presented  to  the  quarterly  meeting  in 
January,  191 6,  the  committee  urgently  appealed  to  the 
members  to  be  their  own  light  porters,  so  as  to  reduce 
the  dehvery  of  goods,  and  said  :  "Do  all  you  can  in  all 
ways,  even  at  an  inconvenience,  during  the  war,  and  so 
help  to  release  men  to  get  this  job  finished."  They 
proceeded  to  give  the  following  advice  :  "  We  have  had 
war  before,  and  felt  its  effects  after,  but  never  Hke  this. 
It  is  most  essential  that  all  shall  economise  in  all  ways. 
Save  all  you  can,  and  save  it  in  the  Co-operative  move- 
ment, where  it  will  be  used  to  your  advantage  and  is 
always  at  your  command  when  required.  Heavy 
taxation  will  prevent  the  price  of  goods  from  coming 
down  again  to  what  they  were  before  the  war.  The  loss 
of  life  will  cripple  the  industries  of  all  nations  for  a  long 
time  to  come.  The  same  applies  to  the  society.  Advice 
from  all  leaders  of  the  movement  is,  '  Do  not  spend 
more  than  vou  are  obliged  in  buildings,  build  up  your 
reserves,     look     after    depreciations,     encourage     your 


THE   WAR    PERIOD  29I 

members  to  invest  all  savings  in  their  own  stores.' 
Those  societies  and  all  individuals  who  take  this  advice 
will  be  \\nse,  and  so  provide  for  whatever  may  be  in 
store  after  the  war." 

In  April,  1916,  the  committee  said,  among  other 
things  :  "  The  comer  site  of  Fleet  Street  and  West 
Orchard  cost  the  society  £3,500,  of  which  £1,500  was 
written  off  some  quarters  ago  [January,  1915],  and  the 
writing  off  of  £2,000  this  quarter  \\'ill  wipe  off  the  original 
cost  of  this  site,  so  that  the  property  now  stands  at  its 

true  value Fifty  per  cent,  of  excess  profits  made 

the  Government  require  as  tax,  and  this  the  committee 
are  providing  for.  If  the  society  makes  more  in  the 
future  they  will  require  sixty  per  cent.  .  .  .  Doubtless 
many  members  have  been  inconvenienced  bv  not  being 
able  to  get  supplies  of  all  goods  required  ;  but  the  com- 
mittee are  doing  all  possible  to  get  supplies  from 
merchants,  and  also  the  delivery  of  goods  which,  through 
the  shortage  of  labour,  is  bad.  It  is  a  constant  source 
of  anxiet}^  to  your  committee,  and  your  inconvenience 
they  very  much  regret.  Let  us  hope  it  will  not  last 
much  longer." 

A  more  hopeful  tone  marked  the  opening  of  the  report 
which  was  dealt  with  at  the  July  meeting,  from  which 
the  following  are  extracts  : — "  The  Committee  are  glad 
to  report  trade  in  all  departments  good  ;  but  they  still 
have  great  difficulty  in  getting  supplies  in  nearly  all 
departments.  Sugar  has  been  very  short,  and  although 
we  have  a  slight  improvement,  we  cannot  promise  that 
it  will  be  maintained — in  fact  the  same  applies  to  many 
articles  that  we  sell.  ^lembers  will  do  well  to  look 
ahead  ;    if  the  war  lasts,  it  is  going  to  be  worse  instead 


290  THE    WAR    PERIOD 

getting  supplies  from  wholesale  houses,  and  also  in 
transit  by  rail.  Your  committee  are  doing  all  possible 
to  get  them,  but  owing  to  the  high  prices  ruling  and  this 
difficulty  of  supply  it  behoves  members  to  economise  as 
much  as  possible  and  avoid  all  waste.  Those  of  you 
who  read  the  Co-operative  Xeivs  will  have  seen  that  a 
great  desire  is  expressed  by  a  large  number  of  members 
of  the  movement  that  some  steps  should  be  taken  to 
get  at  the  sources  of  supply,  and  doubtless  more  will  be 
heard  of  this  question.  The  greater  loyalty  of  our 
members  will  make  this  thing  easier — by  making 
greater  demands  through  the  Co-operative  movement 
for  all  our  wants." 

In  their  report  presented  to  the  quarterly  meeting  in 
January,  1916,  the  committee  urgently  appealed  to  the 
members  to  be  their  own  light  porters,  so  as  to  reduce 
the  delivery  of  goods,  and  said  :  "  Do  all  you  can  in  all 
ways,  even  at  an  inconvenience,  during  the  war,  and  so 
help  to  release  men  to  get  this  job  finished."  They 
proceeded  to  give  the  following  advice  :  "  We  have  had 
war  before,  and  felt  its  effects  after,  but  never  like  this. 
It  is  most  essential  that  all  shall  economise  in  all  ways. 
Save  all  you  can,  and  save  it  in  the  Co-operative  move- 
ment, where  it  will  be  used  to  your  advantage  and  is 
always  at  your  command  when  required.  Heavy 
taxation  will  prevent  the  price  of  goods  from  coming 
down  again  to  what  they  were  before  the  war.  The  loss 
of  life  will  cripple  the  industries  of  all  nations  for  a  long 
time  to  come.  The  same  applies  to  the  society.  Advice 
from  all  leaders  of  the  movement  is,  '  Do  not  spend 
more  than  you  are  obliged  in  buildings,  build  up  your 
reserves,     look     after    depreciations,     encourage     your 


i 


THE    WAR    PERIOD  29I 

members  to  invest  all  savings  in  their  own  stores.' 
Those  societies  and  all  individuals  who  take  this  advice 
will  be  wise,  and  so  provide  for  whatever  may  be  in 
store  after  the  war." 

In  April,  1916,  the  committee  said,  among  other 
things  :  "  The  corner  site  of  Fleet  Street  and  West 
Orchard  cost  the  society  £3,500,  of  which  £1,500  was 
written  off  some  quarters  ago  [January,  1915],  and  the 
writing  off  of  £2,000  this  quarter  wall  v^dpe  off  the  original 
cost  of  this  site,  so  that  the  property  now  stands  at  its 

true  value Fifty  per  cent,  of  excess  profits  made 

the  Government  require  as  tax,  and  this  the  committee 
are  providing  for.  If  the  society  makes  more  in  the 
future  they  will  require  sixty  per  cent.  .  .  .  Doubtless 
many  members  have  been  inconvenienced  by  not  being 
able  to  get  supphes  of  all  goods  required  ;  but  the  com- 
mittee are  doing  all  possible  to  get  supplies  from 
merchants,  and  also  the  delivery  of  goods  which,  through 
the  shortage  of  labour,  is  bad.  It  is  a  constant  source 
of  anxiet}^  to  your  committee,  and  your  inconvenience 
they  very  much  regret.  Let  us  hope  it  \vill  not  last 
much  longer." 

A  more  hopeful  tone  marked  the  opening  of  the  report 
which  was  dealt  with  at  the  July  meeting,  from  which 
the  following  are  extracts  : — "  The  Committee  are  glad 
to  report  trade  in  all  departments  good  ;  but  they  still 
have  great  difficulty  in  getting  supplies  in  nearh'  all 
departments.  Sugar  has  been  very  short,  and  although 
we  have  a  slight  improvement,  we  cannot  promise  that 
it  will  be  maintained — in  fact  the  same  applies  to  man}' 
articles  that  we  sell.  Members  will  do  well  to  look 
ahead  ;    if  the  war  lasts,  it  is  going  to  be  worse  instead 


292  THE   WAR   PERIOD 

of  better.  Through  shortage  of  suppHes  and  shortage 
of  labour  your  management  are  continually  in  diffi- 
culties  Our  payment  to  families  of  the  men  who 

have  gone  was  £205  this  quarter.  The  committee 
promise  to  do  all  possible  to  supply  members  with  goods 
to  the  best  of  their  ability  ;  but  you  must  look  to  being 
short  of  some  goods  :  it  is  impossible  to  avoid  it  under 
present  conditions.  .  .  .  The  works  department  car- 
penter's and  blacksmith's  shops  are  now  completed  at 
Swan  Lane,  and  machinery  in  same.  Additions  have 
been  made  to  the  garage  at  Gosford  Street  ;  and  stables 
for  sixty  horses  are  being  put  up  at  34,  Bishop  Street. 

The  balance  sheet  dealt  with  at  the  meeting  on  October 
i6th,  1916,  was  the  first  six-monthly  one.  It  stated  that 
the  sales  for  the  period  were  £330,520  los.  5d.,  being 
an  increase  of  £38,701  15s.  10 Jd.  over  the  corresponding 
period  of  last  year,  but  continued  alteration  upwards  in 
price  of  goods  made  it  difficult  to  ascertain  the  increased 
trade  done.  The  report  continued  :  "  We  have  paid  as 
war  bonus  to  employees  during  the  six  months  £2,713 
I2S.  od.,  National  Service  allowance  £493  9s.  od., 
sick  pay  £94  9s.  7d.,  and  non-members'  dividend  £143 
IIS.  iijd.  War  bonus  and  National  Service  allowances 
are  purely  war  items,  which  in  normal  times  would  be 
available  for  profits,  but  are  now  gladly  paid  under  the 
exceptional  circumstances  ruling  at  the  present  time. 
The  balance  carried  forward  is  large  (£4,200  i6s.  2id.), 
but  this  and  more  will  be  required  to  meet  our  liability 
for  excess  profits  duty.  You  wall  note  we  have  paid 
as  excess  profit  £1,172  9s.  od.  This  is  up  to  June,  1915. 
A  further  nine  months  is  now  due  to  March,  191 6,  and 
will  be  about  £6,500  ;    the  next  year  will  close  with  our 


THE  War  period  ^93 

next  balance  sheet  in  March,  and  this  will  then  have 
to  be  provided  for.  Under  these  circumstances  the 
committee  only  recommend  a  dividend  of  2s.  3d.  in 
the  pound  ;  and  it  is  doubtful  if  this  will  be  maintained. 
It  is  impossible,  with  the  very  high  prices  ruling,  to  make 
the  usual  rate  of  profits,  and  provide  for  excess  profit 
duty,  and  pay  all  the  other  extra  charges.  Other 
societies  are  feeling  the  effects,  and  also  reducing 
dividends  to  meet  the  altered  circumstances.  Difficulty 
in  obtaining  supplies  of  goods  still  continues,  and  seems 
likely  to  do  so,  and  our  difficulties  in  delivery  to  members 
will  get  worse.  More  men  are  going,  and  likely  to  go,  and 
it  behoves  members  to  do  all  possible  to  minimise  the 
delivery  question  by  fetching  all  possible  themselves." 

Excess  Profits  Duty. 

At  the  quarterly  meeting  on  October  17th,  1916, 
Mr.  Price  protested  against  the  payment  by  the  society 
of  excess  profits  duty,  and  moved  the  following  resolu- 
tion : — "  That  this  meeting  accepts  the  report  and 
balance  sheet  with  regret,  and  notes  the  management 
have  remitted  over  £1,000  as  excess  profits  duty.  The 
meeting  requests  the  management  committee  to  seek 
what  expert  advice  they  think  fit,  wdth  a  view  of  securing 
the  return  of  this  amount,  and  to  prevent  any  further 
payment  being  made.  That  the  management  committee 
secure  all  information  possible  through  the  Co-operative 
Union  and  Co-operative  Wholesale  Societ}^  and  en- 
deavour to  get  an  effectual  protest  made  through  other 
Co-operative  Societies,  as  this  meeting  cannot  believe 
that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Treasury  to  charge  a 
so-called  excess  profit  when  a  lesser  profit  than  prior  to 


294  THE    WAR    PERIOD 

the  war  is  returned  to  the  members.  This  meeting 
lurther  requests  the  management  committee  to  so  arrange 
prices  charged  for  goods  as  to  avoid  the  business 
showing  a  greater  amount  of  bulk  profit  than  shown 
prior  to  the  war,  even  if  such  arrangement  demands  the 
elimination  of  dividends."  Mr.  Manley  seconded  the 
resolution.  Mr.  Clay  stated  that  the  committee  had  no 
objection  to  accepting  the  resolution,  and  would  do  all 
that  was  possible  to  avoid  "  excess  profits  "  in  the 
future,  by  lowering  the  prices  of  goods  ;  but  this  would 
probably  reduce  dividends  as  well.  The  resolution  was 
adopted. 

Government  and  National  Food  Supply. 

As  far  back  as  January,  1915,  ^Ir.  Price  moved  that 
a  resolution  be  sent  to  the  Government  respecting  the 
wheat  supply  and  the  high  prices,  and  asking  them  to 
deal  with  the  matter  in  the  public  interest.  This  was 
seconded  by  Mr.  Manley,  and  carried.  The  president 
promised  that  the  committee  would  do  all  they  possibly 
could  in  support  of  the  resolution  and  the  object  aimed 
at. 

Similar  resolutions  have  been  passed  by  various 
bodies  throughout  the  country.  Apparently  the 
Government  were  very  slow  in  taking  an}^  action,  for 
it  was  not  until  November  15th,  igiO,  the  announcement 
was  made  in  the  House  of  Commons  that  regulations 
would  be  issued  under  the  Defence  of  the  Realm  Act 
to  control  commodities  and  prices.  The  powers  pro- 
posed were  :  To  appoint  a  food  controller  ;  to  fix  prices 
of  food  where  supply  would  be  unaffected  ;  to  discon- 
tinue  "  white  "    flour  bread  ;    to   deal  with  milk  and 


THE   WAR   PERIOD  295 

potatoes  first  ;  to  check  extravagance  in  sweets  ;  to 
prevent  waste  or  unnecessary  destruction  of  any  article 
of  food. 

Mr.  Runciman,  President  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  in 
announcing  these  regulations,  said  the  Government  had 
been  driven  bit  by  bit,  very  much  against  their  will, 
to  sanction  these  regulations.  It  was  impossible  to 
have  food  regulations  which  did  not  bear  hardly  upon 
somebody,  but  the  Government  had  the  right  to  ask 
people  at  home  to  accept  some  hardship  in  order  that 
those  who  were  giving  up  far  more  than  their  comfort 
for  the  country  might  be  allowed  to  reap  a  glorious 
victory. 


Chapter  XXXIX. 


Figures  of  Progress  :     1867  to  1916  (Oct. 


A  Graphic  Summary. 

STARTING  in  1867  with  48  members,  the 
I  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society 
had  an  original  capital  fund  of  £64.  is.  7d. 
There  is  now  a  membership  of  22,561,  with  a  capital 
of  £322,428  I2S.  3d. 

The  first  store  was  a  small  shop  rented  at  less  than 
6s.  a  week.  Now  the  society  has  26  grocery  stores, 
seven  drapery  stores  and  a  millinery  department, 
one  boot  shop  (boots  being  also  sold  at  drapery  shops) 
and  a  boot  repairing  shop,  a  large  bakery,  two  con- 
fectionery shops  (confectionery  being  also  sold  at 
grocery  stores),  a  clothing  and  outfitting  store,  a 
furnishing  store,  six  coal  wharves,  a  central  provision 
warehouse,  a  model  dairy  ;  and,  in  addition,  a  range 
of  central  offices,  with  committee  rooms,  employees' 
recreation  room,  and  an  assembly  hall  ;  also  stables, 
garage,  grazing  field,  and  other  property  and  land — 
part  of  which  is  let  on  lease  or  rented  to  tenants. 


A   GRAPHIC   SUMMARY  297 

In  1868,  a  few  shillings,  being  dividend  on  purchases, 
were  allowed  to  remain  as  capital  in  the  Co-operative 
^^^lolesale  Society.  The  society  has  now  placed  with 
that  undertaking  £9,140  in  shares,  and  £44,ygy  i8s.  6d. 
on  loan — a  total  of  £53,937  i8s.  6d.  There  is  also  a 
large  investment  with  various  other  Co-operative 
productive  societies. 

With  the  sum  of  £13  lis.  yd.  a  reserve  fund  was 
started  in  1874.  This  fund  now  stands  at  £20,258 
7s.  yd.,  while  there  is  also  a  dividend  equalisation  fund 
of  £795  7s-  5id. 

The  society's  educational  fund  was  founded  in  1867 
with  6s.  lojd.  The  total  amount  which  has  passed  to 
that  fund  is  £18,630. 

Under  a  scheme  of  house-purchasing  for  members' 
benefit,  business  began  in  1889,  the  sum  of  £2,000  being 
placed  at  the  committee's  disposal  in  April.  The  amount 
advanced  to  members  on  house  property  now  stands 
at  £74,302  9s.  6d. 

Land,  buildings,  and  fixtures  have  cost  £139,960  os. 
5d.,  from  which  there  has  been  written  off  for  deprecia- 
tion £56,780  los.  9d.  The  present  nominal  value  is 
therefore  £83.179  9s.  8d. — viz.  :  Property,  £70,224  6s. 
id.  ;   Fixtures,  etc.,  £12,955  3s.  7d. 

In  the  first  three  quarters  of  the  society's  existence 
(1867)  the  sales  amounted  to  £397  los.  lod.  In  the 
three  quarters  of  1916  the  sales  have  amounted  to 
£484,260  4s.  ojd. 

A  statement  showing  the  progress  in  the  society's 
sales  year  by  year  is  published  in  each  quarterly  report 
and  balance  sheet.  Divided  into  five  decennial  periods 
the  figures  are  as  follows  : — 


298 


A    GRAPHIC   SUMMARY 


1867  (3  qrs.)  to  1876 
1877  to  1886   .... 
1887  ,,  189b   .... 
1897  ,,  1906 
1907  ,,  1916  (3  qrs.) 

£      ^■ 

32,204  5 

142,058  13 

...  319,008  18 

...  1,281,177  7 

...  3,564.261  15 

d. 

3 

9 
10 

I* 

9 

Total  Sales 

•-£5,338,771  0 

8i 

There'  has  been  returned  to  members  in  the  form  of 
rebate,  bonus,  or 

Dividend  mt  Purchases    £619,853 

A  general  average  of  more   than  £12,000  a  year. 

This  amount  is  what  Co-operative  purchasers  have 
actually  saved  in  their  expenditure  by  dealing  at  their 
own  shops,  after  establishing  and  building  up  the 
society,  providing  education  and  recreation  funds,  and 
liberally  subscribing  towards  objects  of  social  welfare. 
It  does  not  include  interest  on  shares  or  deposits. 

The  society  started  with  voluntary  labour.  Now 
there  are  between  four  and  five  hundred  employees. 
Prior  to  the  war  the  figures  were  404  males  and  41 
females — 445  ;  but  the  proportion  of  female  services 
ha^j  been  largelv  increased  owing  to  military  require- 
ments. 


Chapter  XL. 


Our  Historical  Calendar. 

1867 — Society   constituted    and    business   commenced    at    Cook 
Street. 

First  Public  fleeting. 
1868 — New  Store,  Bishop  Street,  opened. 

First  investment  in  C.W.S 
1869 — -Coal  agency  started. 
1870 — -Branch  Store  started  at  Stretton-on-Dunsmore. 

]\Ir.  A.  C.  Scrivener,  first  secretary,  resigned. 
1871 — -Mr.  G.  Jarrams  elected  secretary  (January). 

Mr.  G.  Jarrams  resigned  (August). 

-Mr.  J.  W.  Lewis  elected  secretary. 
1872 — Mr.  J.  W.  Lewis  resigned. 

Mr.  G.  Thorpe  elected  secretary. 
1873 — Mr.  G.  Thorpe  resigned. 

Mr.  G.  Jarrams  again  appointed  secretary. 
1874 — Penny  Bank  opened. 

First  Educational  Committee  appointed. 

Drapery    and    Boot    and    Shoe    Departments    opened    at 
Bishop  Street  Store. 

Reserve  Fund  started. 
1875 — ^Testimonial  to  President  (Mr.  Hepworth) 

Pony  and  cart  bought  for  bread  dehvery. 
1876 — -Mr.  Jarrams  resigned  ;       Mr.     A.     L.     Xewbold     elected 
secretary. 

Property — -45,  Bishop  Street — bought  ;    also  site  in  West 
Orchard. 
1877 — -New  Stores,  West  Orchard,  built  and  opened. 


300  OUR    HISTORICAL   CALENDAR 

1878 — Butchering  business  postponed. 
1879 — -President  and  Secretary  resigned. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Williams  elected  president. 

Mr.  Geo.  Jarrams  appointed  secretary  and  manager. 
1880 — Singing  Class  started. 

Committee  promulgate  branch  store  pohcy. 
1881^Mr.  Williams  resigned  ;   Mr.  Wm.  Jones  elected  president. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Farn,  veteran  co-operator,  died  (October  13). 
1882 — Coal  trade  started,  supplying  members  direct. 
1883^Victoria  Street  Store  opened. 

Bishop  Street  Store  closed. 
1884 — Gosford  Street  Store  opened. 

Branch  of  Women's  Co-operative  Guild  formed. 
1885 — New  system  of  bread-making  installed. 
1886^Mr.  Wm.  Jones  resigned  ;    Mr.  J.  T.  Lower  elected  pre- 
sident. 
1887— Additional  Ovens  installed  at  Bakery,  West  Orchard. 

Dr.  John  Watts,  eminent  co-operator,  died  (February). 
1888^Society's  "  Coming  of  age  "  celebrated. 

House  Purchasing  Scheme  adopted. 
1889 — ^Business  started  in  house  purchasing. 

House   and   shop,    Colchester   Street,   bought   for  branch 
store. 
1890 — Property,  34,  Bishop  Street,  bought. 
1891 — -Spon  Street  Branch  Store  opened. 

Site  of  new  store  at  Earlsdon  bought. 
1892 — Britannia  Music  Hall  bought  and  converted  into  Stores. 

Removal  of  Gosford  Street  Store  to  larger  premises. 
1893 — Death  of  Mr.  Joseph  Hepworth,  first  president  (Sept.  12). 
1894— Death  of  Mr.  Charles  Shufflebotham  (May  17). 
1895 — New  Stores  at  Earlsdon  built. 
1896 — Springfield  Road  Store  opened  (June). 

Nos.  23  and  24,  Victoria  Street,  bought. 

Earlsdon  New  Store  opened  (June). 
1897 — -Dividend  reaches  3s.  in  the  pound. 
1898— New  Bakery,  Cox  Street,  opened  (Nov.  22). 

Britannia  Buildings,  West  Orchard,  bought^ 

Interest  on  Share  Capital  fixed  at  4  per  cent. 

Educational  Committee  enlarged  and  two  women  members 
elected. 


OUR    HISTORICAL    CALENDAR  30I 

1899 — Mr.  Lower  resigned  ;    Mr.  Wm.   Jones  elected  president 
(second  time). 
Mr.  R.  Potts  appointed  grocery  manager. 
1900 — New  Store  (Britannia  Buildings),  West  Orchard,  opened 
(February). 
Field  at  Allesley  Road  bought  for  grazing  purposes. 
Flood  started  (December  31). 
1901 — ^Disastrous  Flood  (January  1). 

Stretton-on-Dunsmore  Branch  closed  (March). 
Property,  Gosford  Street,  rebuilt  for  Branch  Store. 
Mr.  W.  H.  Ansell  retired  from  auditorship  after  30  years' 
service. 
1902 — Purchase   of  sites   in    Britannia   Street,    Somerset   Road, 
and  Stoney  Stanton  Road. 
Guarantee  of  ^300  to  Defence  Fund  against  a  boycott. 
1903 — Amalgamation  of  Kenilworth  Society. 

Death  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Ansell,  retired  auditor. 
Site  bought  for  Store  at  Geoffrey  Wood's  Cross. 
1904 — Central  Provision  Warehouse,  West  Orchard,  estabhshed. 

Land  bought  for  Store  at  London  Road. 
1905 — Amalgamation     of     Stoney     Stanton     Road     Prudential 
Co-operative    Society    (including    Alderman's    Green 
Society). 
Land,    Earlsdon    Street    and    Poplar    Road,    bought    for 
New  Store. 
1906 — Threatened  "  Soap  Combine." 
1907 — Xorthfield  Road  and  Dean  Street  sites  bought. 
1908 — Gosford  Street  Drapery  Store  opened. 
Victoria  Street  Drapery  Store  bought. 
Old  Bakehouse,  West  Orchard,  taken  down,  and  several 
new  rooms  built. 
1909— Bristol  Road  site  bought. 

New  Check  System  for  Purchases  adopted. 
1910— Property,  38  and  39,  Smithford  Street,  bought. 

Land  in  Swan  Lane  bought. 
191 1  ^Exhibition  of  Co-operative  Productions. 

Land  at  Foleshill  Road,  Bray's  Lane,  and  Windsor  Street 
bought. 
1912 — Additional  Land   at   Swan  Lane,   site  of  New  Store  at 
Kenilworth,  and  Property  adjoining  Central  Provision 
Warehouse  bought. 


302  OUR    HISTORICAL    CALENDAR 

1913 — Model  Dairy  opened  (5th  April). 

Lands  at  Humber  Road  and  Walsgrave-on-So\ve  bought. 
Corner  Property,  Fleet  Street  and  West  Orchard,  bought. 
1914 — -Scheme     for     Society's     Building     Works     Department 
approved. 
Plot  of  Land  secured  at  Radford  Road  for  Store. 
Mrs.  Shufflebotham  retired  from  Educational  Committee. 
Employees'   Trade   L'nion   Resolution  passed. 
Mr.  R.  Potts  appointed  general  manager. 
1915 — ]\Ir.  Wm.  Jones  retired  from  Educational  Committee. 

New   Stores   at   Binley   Colliery   and   Walsgrave-on-Sowe 
opened. 
1916 — Albany  Road  Grocery  Stores  opened. 

New  Clothing  and   Men's   Outfitting   Department,    Fleet 

Street  and  West  Orchard,  opened. 
Mr.  A.  C.  Scrivener,  first  secretary,  died. 
1917 — Society's    50th    Anniversarv  :     Constituted    March    19th. 
1867. 


Chapter  XLI. 
Co-operators'  Architecture. 

"  Sermons  in  stones." — -Shakespeare. 

THE  history  of  the  Coventry  Perse\'erance 
Co-operative  Society  may  be  read  in  its  buildings. 
The  first  store  was  merely  a  tenement  in  a 
neighbourhood  that  few  would  call  picturesque.  Shortly 
the  society  occupied  a  house  in  a  more  or  less  sordid 
main  thoroughfare.  Next  there  was  built  a  modem 
edifice,  substantial  and  well-adapted  to  its  purposes, 
but  unpretentious  :  there  was  no  monev  available  for 
ornamentation.  When  the  Britannia  Music  Hall  in 
Fleet  Street  was  bought,  decoration  entered  into  the 
scheme  of  reconstruction  :  the  new  shops  were  compar- 
able with  others  in  which  like  businesses  were  conducted 
at  the  time.  And  why — the  question  was  asked — should 
not  co-operators  have  as  fine  shops  as  other  classes  of 
the  community  ?  In  the  building  of  district  stores, 
ideals  were  further  developed.  These  branches  exhibit 
three  characteristics.  First — Utility,  or  adaptation  to 
the  intended  purposes  ;  second — Homage  to  Hygeia, 
the  goddess  of  health,  in  the  selection  of  special  materials 
to  ensure  light  and  sweetness  ;  third— Architecture,  in 
the  form  of  grace  and  adornment  to  a  limited  extent, 


304  CO-OPERATORS     ARCHITECTURE 

combined  with  decorative  internal  litments.  In  the 
society's  dairy,  built  in  191 2,  all  the  resources  of  science 
and  inventive  genius  were  drawn  upon  to  erect,  fit,  and 
equip  the  establishment  with  a  view  to  ensuring  perfect 
purity  together  with  the  richest  quality  of  the  articles 
of  diet  produced.  While  it  is  said  there  is  no  beauty 
without  utilit}',  the  building  is  not  solely  utiHtarian. 
The  dairy  may  be  chaste  in  its  general  lines,  but  there  is 
architecture  in  the  stone  dressings,  in  the  carving  of  the 
head  of  a  specimen  of  the  bovine  kind,  in  the  tablet 
inscribed  with  the  directors'  names,  and  in  the  general 
harmonisation  ;  while  both  nature  and  art  contribute 
adornment  in  the  shrubbery.  It  is  fairly  claimed  to  be 
a  model  dairy  architecturally  and  otherwise.  Finally, 
dilapidated  tenements  have  been  replaced  at  the  comer 
of  West  Orchard  and  Fleet  Street  by  a  stone  edifice 
which  not  only  combines  utility  and  salubrity,  but  also 
architectural  importance.  When  the  plans  which  have 
been  prepared  are  completely  carried  out,  the  Central 
Stores  will  be  a  distinct  ornament  to  the  city  and  com- 
pare with  the  most  handsome  buildings  of  societies  in 
any  other  part  of  the  country.  The  various  styles 
here  enumerated  may  be  taken  as  symbolising 
the  start,  development,  and  growth  to  maturity  of 
the  modem  movement  for  social  progress  in  Coventry — 
Co-operation. 

If  the  "  sermons  "  in  these  stones  became  articulate, 
from  what  texts  would  they  be  preached  ?  It  may  be 
hazarded  they  would  be  topics  such  as  "  Self-help," 
"  Economy  and  Thrift,"  "  Keeping  out  of  Debt," 
"  Honesty  in  Business,"  "  Application  and  Persever- 
ance," "  Helping  others,"  "  Working  together." 


I 


Corner  Block — Part  of  Scheme  for  Xew  Premises, 
West  Orchard  and  Fleet  Street. 


( 


I 


CO-OPERATORS  ARCHITECTURE  307 

"  Architecture  is  frozen  music,"  said  Prof.  F.  W.  J. 
Scheling,  who  wrote  long  before  the  German  degeneracy. 
Now,  if  the  music  in  the  architecture  of  co-operators' 
buildings  in  Coventry  could  be  made  liquid,  what  ideas 
would  be  expressed  ?  It  may  be  suggested  there  would 
stream  forth  a  symphonic  poem,  descriptive  of  the 
different  periods  of  Co-operation  in  Coventry.  The 
first  movement  would  bewail  the  wretchedness,  the 
poverty  and  the  ignorance  of  the  working  class  in  the 
pre-Co-operative  era,  and  develop  into  a  more  cheerful 
tone  indicating  a  gleam  of  hope.  The  next  movement 
would  be  firmer  and  more  sprightly  as  the  Co-operative 
vision  became  clearer  and  there  began  the  enterprise 
of  self-help  and  fraternal  eftort.  The  third  movement 
would  describe  the  struggles,  the  hopes,  the  disappoint- 
ments, the  buffetings  of  outrageous  fortune,  the  per- 
severance of  spirit,  and  the  assurance  of  realisation. 
The  final  movement  would  celebrate  the  deliverance 
that  had  been  won  in  the  toilers  having  come  into  their 
own,  trumpet  tones  preparing  the  mind  for  a  volume  of 
harmony  leading  to  a  grand  climax  of  satisfaction, 
joyfulness,  and  repose,  with  the  suggestion  that  the 
best  is  yet  to  be  !  All  imagination  ?  A  mere  vision  ? 
Doubtless  ;  but  has  it  not  been  declared  of  old  that 
"  where  there  is  no  vision  the  people  perish  "  ?  And 
in  the  vision  here  poorly  set  forth  there  is  no  copyright. 
Any  aspiring  musician  mav  without  fee  or  license  adopt 
it  and  improve  upon  it  in  a  composition  that  may 
well  prove  sublime. 


Chapter  XLII. 

Educational  Work. 
By  James  Clay. 

THE  following  chapter  is  a  short  resume  and 
comment  on  the  work  of  the  Educational 
Committee  of  the  Society,  and  provides  some 
interesting  features  in  the  history  of  the  Society  and  its 
relative  position  to  the  social  and  educational  activities 
of  the  citizens  during  the  period  of  its  existence. 

It  is  somewhat  to  be  regretted  that  the  records  of  its 
earlier  years  have  not  been  sufficiently  preserved  to 
give  any  reliable  data  of  its  procedure  from  its  first 
inception  as  a  committee,  but  we  have  enough  evidence 
to  show  that  its  main  line  of  work  lay  in  providing 
means  for  the  promotion  of  the  best  known  forms  of 
social  life  among  its  members,  although  the  spasmodic 
flights  into  higher  realms  of  education  generally  ended 
in  "  croppers,"  and  it  found  the  line  of  least  resistance 
in  members'  teas  and  entertainments  of  various  kinds. 
It  was  of  necessity  that  this  was  so,  as  it  w^as  essential 
that  the  comparatively  small  band  of  social  reformers 
who  saw  in  Co-operation  the  dawn  of  a  better  day  for 
the  toiler  should  have  some  means  of  social  intercourse 


OUR    EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT.  3OC) 

and  fellowship  other  than  that  provided  by  the  collective 
trade  of  the  society,  and  also  some  channel  by  means 
of  which  missionary  effort  should  find  a  mutual  outlet 
and  take  a  public  place  in  the  communal  life. 

To  find  the  wherewithal  to  meet  these  needs  was 
apparently  fully  in  the  minds  of  the  first  committee  of 
the  society,  as  we  find  an  item  in  the  first  balance  sheet 
published,  as  follows  : — "  To  Education,  is.  6d." 

Truly  it  is  well  not  to  despise  the  day  of  small  things. 
\\'hen  that  balance  sheet  was  passed  it  was  never  within 
the  minds  of  the  enthusiasts  who  delightedly  set  aside 
the  modest  sum  of  eighteenpence  that  a  similar  pro- 
portion of  the  quarter's  profits  in  191 7  devoted  to  the 
same  object  would  reach  over  £1,000  ;  but  inasmuch 
as  it  bore  the  same  proportion  to  the  profits  of  that 
day,  it  was  an  earnest  of  things  to  be. 

Fortunateh'  at  that  time  there  was  no  separate  com- 
mittee whose  special  function  it  would  have  been  to 
properly  dispose  of  this  quarter's  grant  of  one-and-six, 
or  there  would  have  been  some  cogitation  required  as 
to  the  most  effective  way  of  spending  the  same  in  the 
interests  of  the  membership. 

All  the  same,  it  was  a  testimony  to  that  broader  out- 
look of  those  pioneers  that  out  of  the  poverty  they  were 
willing  to  give  a  proportion  that  others  might  be  taught 
the  principles  they  themselves  believed  in. 

It  is  traditional  that  at  many  of  the  social  meetings 
of  the  members  of  the  early  days,  the  little  to  be  had 
from  the  profits  was  of  necessity  supplemented  by  the 
individuals  attending.  One  hears  of  gatherings  at 
which  members  brought  their  o^\Tl  "  crocks  and  spoons," 
and  in  some  instances  provided  the  eatables  also  ;    but 


310  OUR   EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT. 

these  little  things  only  served  to  stimulate  their 
enthusiasm  and  prepare  the  way  for  larger  days  and 
wider  opportunities. 

The  first  Educational  Committee  was  appointed  on 
October  17th,  1876,  and  it  is  noteworthy  that  the  title 
and  name  of  this  first  committee  was  "  The  Educational 
and  Recreation  Committee  "  of  the  Society,  clearly 
indicating  that  its  work  lay  not  only  in  the  propagation 
of  Co-operative  knowledge  and  ideals,  but  also  in  the 
providing  of  means  of  social  life  among  the  members. 

The  absence  of  the  records  of  these  early  years  leaves 
us  much  in  the  dark  as  to  the  doings  and  the  personnel 
of  the  committees  of  these  times,  but  it  is  evident  their 
work  was  seriously  hampered  by  lack  of  funds  and  had 
to  be  within  strictly  defined  limits,  allowing  little  margin 
for  either  speculative  effort  or  risk  of  loss. 

The  first  records  extant  are  dated  April  28th,  1888, 
and  we  find  that  at  this  meeting  Mr.  W.  Perkins  was 
elected  chairman  and  Mr.  H.  J.  Penn  secretary,  while 
the  other  members  of  the  committee  were  Mrs.  M. 
Shufflebotham  and  Messrs.  Booker  and  Jackson.  It  is 
evident  at  this  time  that  a  publication  of  some  sort 
was  in  existence,  inasmuch  as  at  this  particular  meeting 
there  is  a  resolution  "  That  once  a  quarter  a  '  riddle  ' 
be  introduced,"  evidently  in  the  publication  referred  to, 
probably  some  form  of  "  Record,"  which  afterwards 
had  a  limited  monthly  circulation.  No  specimen  is 
given  as  to  the  kind  of  conundrum  that  evidently  found 
its  way  into  the  columns  of  the  periodical  aforesaid,  nor 
any  indication  of  the  results  of  this  early  instance  of 
the  "  pushing  "  journalism  of  later  days,  but  it  was 
evidently  an  honest    attempt    to    give   the  "  Record  " 


OUR    EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT.  311 

more  of  a  fireside  character  than  had  formerly  been 
the  case. 

In  the  July  of  that  year  we  also  find  a  highly  interesting 
entry — to  us  in  these  days — of  a  resolution  to  hold  a 
picnic  at  Warwick,  to  which  is  added  the  significant 
proviso  "  that  the  parties  attending  must  find  their 
own  refreshments."  There  thus  appears  to  have  been, 
even  in  those  days,  a  "  food  shortage,"  either  from  lack 
of  funds  to  adequately  cater  for  those  attending,  or 
from  the  hope  that  if  the  "  parties  "  carried  this 
regulation  out  loyally  and  "  found  their  own  "  all  would 
be  satisfied.  We  regret  to  read,  however,  in  a  subse- 
quent "  minute,"  that  it  was  resolved  "  not  to  hold  this 
picnic,"  the  idea  evidently  not  having  "  caught  on," 
In  fact,  this  seems  to  have  been  the  fate  of  many  well 
meant  efforts,  either  from  the  want  of  support  by  the 
membership  or  from  other  causes  ;  but  it  should  also 
be  remembered  that  Coventry  at  various  times  in  these 
years  passed  through  seasons  of  great  depression 
industrially,  and  one  is  not  surprised  that  many  of 
these  attempts  fell  through,  although  the  way  in  which 
the  committee  "  comes  up  smihng  "  after  each  dis- 
heartenment  is  beyond  all  praise,  and  speaks  volumes 
for  the  enthusiasm  of  the  workers  of  those  times. 

In  this  year  there  was  conceived  and  projected  a 
series  of  lectures  by  local  celebrities  and  gentlemen 
resident  in  the  town,  which  is  a  high  testimony  to  the 
work  of  this  committee,  and  although  it  was  two  or 
three  years  before  the  whole  of  the  lectures  were  given, 
it  is  interesting  to  find  the  attitude  of  these  gentlemen 
was  distinctly  friendly  to  a  movement  which  was 
sneered  at  and  contemned  by  the  large  majority  of  the 


312  OUR   EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT. 

inhabitants,  and  one  notes  with  pleasure  the  names  of 
tho  Rev.  J.  Heaviside,  Canon  Beaumont,  Mr.  Montagu 
Wilks,  Mr.  E.  J.  Allen,  and  others  of  the  foremost 
citizens,  who  willingly  answered  the  invitation  to  lecture 
to  the  members. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  the  membership  did  not  always, 
any  more  than  they  did  in  later  times,  appreciate  to  the 
full  the  advantages  offered  by  these  events  ;  but  it  is 
well  to  chronicle  that  these  gentlemen  remained  staunch 
friends  of  the  movement  until  death  or  other  causes 
removed  them  from  the  city. 

We  discover  in  September,  1888,  a  reference  to  a  sing- 
ing class,  at  which  prizes  for  sight  reading  were  offered. 
This  is  the  first  intimation  of  any  attempt  of  the  kind, 
and  although  apparently  not  a  success,  may  have  paved 
the  way  for  the  reidval  of  choral  music  which  was  such 
a  marked  feature  of  the  work  later  on. 

Many  changes  occurred  about  this  time  in  the  per- 
sonnel of  the  committee,  and  we  find  that  in  January 
7th,  1889,  Mr.  W.  Jones  attended,  after  his  election  to 
the  committee,  and  remained  with  the  connection 
unbroken  until  his  retirement  in  1915.  In  April  he  was 
elected  as  chairman,  and  retained  the  position  during  the 
whole  of  the  years  he  served  on  the  committee. 

A  first  attempt  was  also  made  in  this  year  to  cater 
for  the  juveniles — classes  and  prize  essays  were  instituted, 
but  no  means  of  ascertaining  their  probable  success  or 
failure  are  at  hand. 

In  this  year,  i88g,  a  much  bolder  step  was  taken  in 
the  institution  of  lectures  under  the  Cambridge 
University  Extension  Scheme,  and  although  from  the 
records  this  seems  to  have  resulted  as  a  financial  loss. 


OUR   EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT.  313 

it  appears  not  to  have  acted  in  any  way  as  a  deterrent 
to  future  action  on  these  Unes. 

At  Christmas,  1889,  the  first  of  the  long  series  of 
annual  entertainments  to  the  children  of  members  was 
arranged  for,  and  the  then  wonderful  "  magic  lantern  " 
was  called  into  requisition,  although  on  a  later  occasion 
the  use  of  this  was  discontinued,  as  it  was  found  that 
the  "  very  juvenile  "  section  were  more  frightened  than 
amused  at  the  darkness  that  added  to  the  effect. 

In  the  year  1891  the  growth  of  the  society  had 
caused  the  educational  grant  to  increase  from  the  modest 
IS.  6d.  to  a  much  appreciated  £io  per  quarter,  and 
enabled  the  committee  to  make  a  small  grant  to  the 
Women's  Guild  for  special  purposes — a  practice  which 
has  not  been  allowed  to  die  out. 

A  very  interesting  event  occurred  in  April,  1892. 
The  society  haWng  purchased  the  Britannia  Vaults,  in 
Fleet  Street,  and  the  license  being  allowed  therebv  to 
lapse,  the  taking  over  of  the  premises  was  celebrated 
by  a  concert  on  the  premises  before  it  was  reconstructed 
as  a  drapery  establishment  for  the  members. 

In  July  of  this  ^^ar  a  grant  of  £25  was  made  to  the 
Technical  School  "  in  accordance  with  the  wish  of  the 
quarterly  meeting,"  and  in  response  to  the  desire  which 
existed  at  that  time  for  the  establishment  of  technical 
training  centres  throughout  the  country.  This  was  the 
period  when  England  was  waking  up  from  her  sleep, 
and  preparing  to  catch  up  the  lee-way  of  half  a  centurv 
of  inertia  in  educational  affairs. 

We  note  that  in  August  of  this  year  (1892)  the  men's 
ambulance  classes,  with  Dr.  Richardson  Rice  as  lecturer, 
were  in  full  swing,  and  this  connection  was  maintained 


314  OUR    EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT. 

for  many  years,  during  which  these  classes  were,  as  they 
are  now,  a  great  success.  This  work  had  been  going  on 
for  some  years  under  the  local  branch  of  the  St.  John 
Ambulance  Association,  but  about  this  time  the  society's 
classes  were  made  a  centre  of  themselves,  independent 
of  outside  authority  and  completely  controlled  by  the 
committee  who  paid  for  them. 

Co-operative  Festival  Choir. 

October  12th,  1893,  saw  the  opening  night  of  the 
singing  classes  instituted  by  the  committee  under  the 
conductorship  of  Mr.  F.  W.  Humberstone.  The  surprise 
of  the  evening  was  the  fact  that  some  300  aspirants  for 
musical  knowledge  attended  and  were  divided  into  two 
classes — those  over  16  years  of  age  and  those  under. 
By  this  rough  and  ready  method  the  singing  classes  of 
the  society  were  started,  and  from  this  meeting  emanated 
the  choir  that  eventually  won  so  much  renown  for  itself, 
not  only  in  its  own  vicinity,  but  in  the  Co-operative 
world. 

It  was  evident  that  an  enormous  amount  of  "  spade 
work  "  had  to  be  done  before  such  material  could  ever 
be  made  to  produce  results  to  be  admired,  but  in  Mr. 
Humberstone  the  society  had  acquired  a  gentleman 
possessed  of  the  very  essentials  requisite  for  the  task. 
With  a  profound  knowledge  of  his  subject,  a  pecuhar 
fitness  for  the  role  of  teacher,  a  great  sympathy  with 
his  pupils,  and  an  unquenchable  optimism  in  the 
possibilities  of  results  to  be  obtained,  he  faced  the  task 
with  fervour,  and  did  not  leave  it  till  the  choir  had  so 
far  attained  a  standard  of  excellence  as  to  in  a  few 
years  take  its  place  in  the  great  choirs  that  annually 


OrR   EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMEXT.  3I7 

assembled  at  the  Crystal  Palace  for  the  yearly  Co- 
operative Festival.  "  He  laboured,  and  others  entered 
into  his  labours,"  but  the  triumphs  of  later  years  would 
have  been  impossible  but  for  the  splendid  work  that, 
as  teacher  and  conductor,  Mr.  Humberstone  did  for 
the  Coventry-  Co-operative  Choir. 

\Mth  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Alfred  Petty  to  the 
conductorship,  in  1898,  the  activities  of  the  choir  took 
on  a  wider  scope,  and  the  formation  of  a  special  com- 
petition choir  marked  a  new  era  in  its  career.  In  1900 
the  choir  became  the  holder  of  the  Earl  Grey  Shield, 
won  in  open  competition  at  the  Crj^stal  Palace,  and 
repeated  this  success  in  1902,  in  the  same  year  winning 
also  the  Midland  Challenge  Shield  at  Wellingboro',  and 
in  1903  and  1904  carrying  off  the  Nottingham  Musical 
Festival  Challenge  Shield. 

Great  credit  for  these  results  was  due  to  the  untiring 
enthusiasm  of  Mr.  Petty  in  his  work,  and  to  the  loyal 
support  of  the  students  under  his  tuition,  to  the  earnest- 
ness of  all,  and  to  the  fostering  care  and  help  of  the 
Educational  Committee. 

The  list  of  successes  of  this  choir  would  be  a  long  one 
to  chronicle.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  its  honours  were 
more  than  any  other  co-operative  choir  could  boast  of, 
and  that  in  1907  it  again  became  the  holder  of  the 
Earl  Grey  Shield,  and  yet  again  in  191 1 — thus  having 
won  this  coveted  trophy  four  times — and  in  the  same 
year  recapturing  the  Jesse  Boot  Shield  at  the  Nottingham 
Festival. 

Mr.  Petty  was  succeeded  in  his  office  by  Mr.  John 
Potter,  who  also  added  to  the  long  list  of  successes,  both 
at    the    Palace    and    in    other    open    competitions    at 


3l8  OUR    EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT. 

Leamington,  Birmingham,  Blackpool,  and  other  places  ; 
winning  also  in  1912  the  Curwen  Challenge  Cup  and 
Chandler  Silver  Challenge  Cup. 

As  a  means  of  contributing  to  the  musical  education 
and  entertainment  of  the  citizens  of  Coventry  the  choir 
had  few  equals,  and  the  efforts  of  the  committee  to 
utilise  this  splendid  agent  were  many  and  various,  not 
always  meeting  the  patronage  and  support  they  deserved. 

At  one  time  an  attempt  to  establish  the  much  abused 
"  Saturday  Pops  "  in  Coventry  was  made,  and  a  splendid 
programme  prepared  for  the  concert,  with  a  uniform 
charge  of  3d.  per  head  for  admission,  and  it  was  fully 
expected  that  a  huge  success  would  be  the  result,  but 
to  the  great  surprise  of  the  promoters  and  performers, 
only  a  few  attended,  and  as  it  was  apparent  that 
Coventry  did  not  require  these,  the  whole  project  was 
abandoned  after  the  first  experiment,  much  to  the  regret 
of  the  promoters  and  to  the  loss  of  all  concerned.  Many 
are  the  disappointments  and  surprises  of  caterers  for  the 
public. 

Courses  of  Lectures. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  effort  to  introduce 
and  carry  out  a  scheme  of  University  Extension  Lectures 
in  1889,  with  its  subsequent  failure.  In  September, 
1893,  the  committee  made  representations  to  the  local 
Technical  Institute  committee,  with  the  result  that  the 
Oxford  University  Extension  scheme  inaugurated  in  the 
city  a  series  of  lectures  on  "  Political  Economy,"  by 
Mr.  J.  Hobson,  one  of  the  finest  exponents  of  that 
peculiaily  dry  but  intensely  interesting  subject,  and 
these  again  were  a  success.  Other  series  followed  by 
Dr.    Samways,    the    Rev.    Hudson    Shaw,    and    other 


OUR    EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT.  319 

lecturers,  and  formed  a  very  valuable  agency  for 
education  in  the  city.  In  all  these  the  Educational 
Committee  valiantly  seconded  the  efforts  of  their  fellow 
townsmen  to  promote  the  higher  education  of  the 
people,  always  stipulating  that  these  courses  of  lectures 
should  be  made  to  come  within  the  reach  of  the  ordinary 
worker  who  wished  to  attend. 

Among  other  agencies  employed  by  the  Educational 
Committee  a  debating  club  was  started  in  1896  for  men, 
and  after  a  stormy  existence  was  discontinued,  but 
during  its  brief  if  eventful  career  it  was  instrumental 
in  bringing  to  the  notice  of  the  local  authorities  the 
advantages  of  the  lectures  then  being  given  in  many 
towns  under  the  Gilchrist  Trust  scheme,  and  through  a 
resolution  passed  at  one  of  the  club's  meetings,  these 
extremely  fascinating  and  highly  educative  science 
lectures  were  introduced  to  the  city,  a  town's  committee 
being  appointed  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the 
Trust,  and  for  many  years  these  lectures  and  others 
organised  and  carried  on  by  town's  committees  delighted, 
entertained,  and  educated  the  citizens  at  a  ridiculously 
small  charge  for  admission.  The  birthplace  of  the  whole 
scheme,  was,  however,  the  Co-operative  Society's 
Debating  Club  for  Men. 

Many  other  series  of  lectures  have  marked  the  course 
of  the  society's  history,  and  have  formed  part  of  the 
educational  work  of  the  society's  committee  ;  but  the 
advent  of  the  picture  show  has  caused  this  form  of 
entertainment  to  lose  some  of  its  power  of  attraction 
for  the  public,  and  it  has  fallen  into  a  back  rank,  to  the 
distinct  loss  of  the  mental  standard  of  the  public 
generally. 


320  our  educational  department. 

Evening  Schools. 

It  was  in  1897  that  the  question  of  establishing 
evening  schools  under  the  Board  of  Education  was  first 
mooted  and  considered  by  the  Educational  Committee. 
At  that  time  there  were  in  existence  no  evening  classes 
of  any  kind  in  the  city  at  which  youths  and  girls  of  over 
school  age  could  attend,  and  the  streets  of  the  city  were 
nightly  thronged  with  young  people  who,  in  the  words 
of  the  song,  "  were  all  dressed  up  and  nowhere  to  go," 
except  to  promenade  the  streets  of  the  town  till,  foot 
weary,  they  turned  at  last  for  home,  or  arrived  at  an 
age  when  they  were  welcomed  in  the  club  or  "  pub." 
but  with  very  few  means  of  passing  their  leisure  hours 
in  either  congenial  or  beneficial  pursuits. 

With  this  state  of  things  the  Education  Committee 
were  profoundly  dissatisfied,  and  at  the  instigation  of 
the  chairman,  Mr.  Jones,  seriously  considered  the 
question  of  opening  classes  for  these  adolescents  as  a 
double  means  of  helping  them. 

There  were  at  that  time  in  existence  the  singing  classes 
referred  to,  and  the  ambulance  classes,  and  with  these 
and  other  projected  classes  a  scheme  was  submitted  and 
approved  of  by  which  the  classes  would  come  under  the 
Board  of  Education  for  inspection  and  also  be  allowed 
a  grant  on  attendance  of  students  at  same,  and  it  was 
intended  to  open  the  school  in  January,  1898. 

At  this  juncture  the  whole  scheme  was  thrown  out 
of  gear  and  almost  ruined  by  the  action  of  the  local 
School  Board  of  that  date,  who  refused  permission  for 
any  of  the  teachers  under  their  control  to  take  up 
evening   school   work,    although   they   permitted   head 


OUR   EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT.  32 1 

teachers  under  the  Board  the  pri\ilege  denied  to  assist- 
ants. This  curiously  illogical  "  ban,"  however,  only  set 
more  fast  the  committee's  resolution  to  proceed  with 
the  work  of  catering  for  the  young  folk  of  the  town, 
and  by  securing  teachers  not  under  the  control  of  the 
School  Board  set  going  four  classes,  \nth  the  result  that 
at  the  end  of  the  half  session  of  1898  a  Government 
grant  had  been  earned  and  received  of  £ii,  and  the 
evening  school  scheme  fairly  launched. 

WTien  the  time  arrived  for  opening  the  next  session, 
in  September,  1898,  it  was  found  that  the  local  School 
Board  had  reconsidered  its  position  and  the  "  ban  "  on 
its  assistants  removed. 

This  gave  the  committee  a  free  hand,  and  with  Mr. 
Alfred  Seeley  acting  as  head  teacher,  and  Messrs. 
Dawson,  Petty,  and  French  as  teachers,  the  school 
opened  with  nine  subjects,  including  the  singing  and 
ambulance  classes.  These  were  all  a  great  success,  and 
proved  conclusively  that  the  need  for  such  classes  was 
great  in  the  city.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  to  such  an  extent 
had  the  classes  justified  their  formation  that  the  Coventry 
School  Board,  convinced  now  that  such  classes  were 
needed  in  the  city,  obtained  the  necessary  permission, 
and  followed  suit,  making  evening  schools  in  nearly  all 
their  elementary  school  buildings,  and  staffing  their  owm 
evening  schools  with  the  teaching  staff  of  the  day  schools, 
thus  executing  a  complete  volte  face  in  this  matter  and 
pro\4ng  the  wisdom  of  the  society's  committee  in  the 
action  they  had  taken. 

For  this  new  session  the  school  earned  £73  as  grant, 
and  from  that  period  to  the  present  time  the  schools 
have  been  a  uniform  success. 


322  OUR    EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT. 

During  the  last  ten  years  the  number  of  classes  held 
during  the  session  has  generally  been  about  forty  each 
week,  with  a  teaching  staff  of  fifty  persons.  The  average 
grant  earned  by  the  schools  is  about  £600  per  annum, 
and  this  amount  is  generally  half  the  expense  of  the 
upkeep  of  the  schools. 

A  roll  of  some  1,000  names  forms  the  list  of  students, 
and  makes  altogether  one  of  the  most  successful  evening 
schools  in  the  country.  The  classes  are  periodically  visited 
by  H.M.  Inspectors  of  evening  schools,  who  invariably 
commend  the  organisation  and  discipline  of  the  classes. 

For  five  nights  in  the  week,  from  the  commencement 
of  September  till  the  close  of  April  in  the  following  year, 
the  rooms  of  the  society  in  West  Orchard  and  the  rooms 
attached  to  West  Orchard  Sunday  School  are  filled  with 
eager  students,  children  of  members  mostly,  whose 
studies  are  divided  into  courses,  both  commercial  and 
domestic,  so  that  a  thorough  secondary  education  is 
afforded  them  at  a  nominal  cost  to  each. 

Opportunity  is  given  at  the  close  of  each  session  to 
test  the  progress  and  attainment  of  such  students  as 
care  to  enter  the  examination  of  the  Union  of  Educational 
Institutions,  whose  certificates,  when  obtained,  form 
a  very  great  advantage  in  obtaining  situations  of  the 
better  class  in  commercial  life,  and  man}^  students  have 
availed  themselves  of  these  privileges. 

A  very  high  average  of  passes  at  the  examinations  is 
generally  the  result  of  the  year's  working,  while  almost 
every  session  sees  two  and  three  of  the  Union  prizes 
carried  off  by  our  students — a  very  great  honour  indeed, 
when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  the  examinations  are  open 
to  all  England. 


OUR    EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT.  323 

During  the  years  many  changes  have  taken  place  in 
the  methods  and  s\^stem  of  teaching,  man\'  in  accordance 
with  the  changing  pohcy  of  the  various  heads  of  the 
Board  of  Education. 

In  the  earUer  years  it  was  found  possible  to  have 
lecture  classes  in  such  subjects  as  "  The  life  and  duties 
of  the  Citizen  "  and  "  The  Science  of  Common  Things," 
with  300  students.  The  subjects  were  illustrated  bv 
the  lantern,  and  were  very  popular  ;  but,  later  on, 
orders  from  the  authorities  caused  these  classes  to  cease 
in  this  form,  and  what  is  known  as  the  "  course  "  system, 
was  adopted.  This  possesses  many  undoubted  advan- 
tages, but  does  not  have  the  attraction  for  the  voung 
people  that  the  older  classes  did. 

The  annual  prize  distributions,  which  are  held  in 
August  each  year,  are  alwa}'s  a  great  event,  and  are 
appreciated  highly  by  the  students  and  parents.  For 
many  years  these  were  held  first  in  the  Corn  Exchange, 
then,  when  this  building  was  converted  into  a  music 
hall,  they  were  transferred  to  the  Drill  Hall.  Here 
some  1,000  persons  would  assemble  to  hear  the 
addresses  of  gentlemen  whose  sympathies  were  with 
the  educational  efforts  of  the  society,  and  to  listen 
to  the  singing  of  the  choral  classes  connected  with  the 
school. 

The  prizes  of  the  year  have  been  distributed  by 
successive  mayors  of  the  cit\^  church  dignitaries,  heads 
of  large  industrial  concerns,  and  leaders  in  the  educa- 
tional work  of  the  city  and  other  gentlemen  in  high 
social  position  in  the  city  and  count}-,  and  all  have 
expressed  their  surprise  and  admiration  of  the  extent 
and  excellence  of  the  work  of  the  schooh-. 


324  OUR   EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT. 

That  these  classes  have  filled  a  great  want  in  the  lives 
of  the  young  people  of  the  city  there  is  indisputable 
evidence,  while  there  is  also  no  doubt  that  the  rooms  of 
the  society  form  a  more  congenial  home  for  these 
students  than  they  can  find  in  the  elementary  schools 
of  the  city,  a  fact  which  has  proved  a  subject  for  surprise 
to  more  than  one  of  the  inspectors  whose  duty  has 
brought  him  in  contact  with  our  work  in  West  Orchard. 

Before  leaving  this  question  of  the  classes  organised 
and  "  carrying  on  "  under  the  education  code  of  the 
Government,  it  is  only  right  to  allude  to  the  services 
rendered  the  schools  by  the  head  master,  Mr.  Alfred 
Seeley,  to  whose  enthusiasm  and  untiring  zeal  much 
of  the  long-continued  success  is  undoubtedly  due. 

Mr.  Seeley  has,  combined  with  exceptional  powers  of 
organisation  and  a  great  capacity  for  hard  work,  an 
enthusiasm  for  education  that  few  possess,  and  these 
qualities  have  enabled  him  throughout  the  long  and  trying 
experiences  of  the  years  to  guide  the  enterprise  in  many 
difficult  situations  and  through  many  troublous  times. 

The  uniform  and  unqualified  success  of  the  schools 
under  his  care  are  the  best  testimony  to  the  high  abilities 
he  has  brought  to  bear  in  the  conduct  of  them.  From 
small  things  he  has  seen  grow  up  an  educational  institu- 
tion in  his  native  city  that  is  hardly  rivalled  for  efficiency 
by  any  school  in  the  country,  and  he  has  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  that  this  verdict  is  endorsed  by  the  most 
critical  form  of  investigation  to  which  his  work  is  subject, 
viz.,  the  visits  of  H.M.  Inspectors  of  Evening  Schools, 
who  do  not  tolerate  inefficiency,  and  whose  unqualified 
praise  of  the  schools  have  been  repeated  over  and  over 
again. 


OUR   EDUCATION-\L    DEPARTMENT.  ^2^ 

The  work  of  the  head  master  has  been  seconded 
loyally  and  well  by  a  devoted  band  of  teachers,  manv  of 
whom  are  now  ser\'ing  their  king  and  country  in  the 
armies  in  the  various  fields  of  this  widespread  war, 
and  but  few  remain  of  the  men  who  gathered  round  the 
head  master  in  the  years  when  the  schools  were  growing 
by  leaps  and  bounds,  but  to  them  and  their  work 
must  be  paid  the  tribute  they  well  deserve  and  the  hope 
expressed  that  in  a  short  time  the}'  may  return  in  health 
and  strength  to  the  scenes  of  their  earlier  triumphs. 

It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  attempt  comment  on  anv 
special  part  of  the  work  of  the  schools,  but  it  is  well 
to  mention  here  that  the  classes  instituted  for  adults 
have  been  an  equal  success  with  those  for  the  younger 
people.      Notably  is  this  the  case  with  regard  to   the 

Ambulanxe  Classes. 

The  formation  of  the  ftrst  of  these  has  been  referred  to, 
and  the\^  have  been  continued  in  an  unbroken  sequence 
for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century,  probably  a  record  in 
ambulance  work.  At  first  intended  for  men  onl}-,  these 
classes  were  afhhated  to  an  ambulance  brigade  of  small 
dimensions  and  troubled  existence,  but,  being  fostered 
by  the  Educational  Committee,  the  brigade  flourished, 
and  at  the  outbreak  of  war  nearly  every  man  was  drafted 
to  work  in  some  one  or  other  of  the  units  of  the  R.A.M.C., 
thus  putting  into  valuable  practice  for  the  alle\iation 
of  suffering  the  knowledge  obtained  when  no  shadow  of 
such  an  emergency  had  crossed  their  path. 

It  was,  however,  apparent  that  what  was  good  for 
the  men  to  know  would  be  equally  useful  for  the  women 
in  the  membership,  and  courses  of  amhuJaucc  and  home 


326  OUR   EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT. 

nursing  were  instituted  and  taken  up  with  vigour  and 
enthusiasm  in  1894,  and  proved  a  great  blessing  and 
success.  Here,  too,  the  needs  of  the  war  called  loudly, 
in  191 4,  to  many  of  the  students  and  several  entered 
various  Red  Cross  hospitals  and  devoted  themselves 
and  their  knowledge  to  the  care  of  the  wounded,  and 
in  this  work  we  wish  them  "  god-speed." 

These  classes  for  adults  have  always  been  a  great 
success,  while  the  high  percentage  of  passes  in  the 
examinations  of  the  St.  John  Ambulance  Association 
testify  to  the  excellent  tuition  of  the  teacher.  Dr. 
Linley  Heald,  and  the  work  of  the  two  superintendents. 
Miss  H.  Parker  and  Mr.  W.  J.  Cotton,  whose  long 
experience  and  extensive  knowledge  are  alwaj^s  at  the 
service  of  the  students  of  the  classes. 

^lention  should  also  be  made  of  the 

Cookery  Classes 

which  for  some  ten  years  have  been  held  in  the  various 
cookery  kitchens  of  the  local  education  authority,  to 
whose  courtesy  in  allowing  the  use  of  these  kitchens  we 
are  deeply  indebted.  Replete  with  all  appliances 
necessary  for  the  students'  use,  and  situated  in  parts 
of  the  city  easily  accessible,  these  Council  cookery 
kitchens  have  proved  a  great  boon  to  the  students  in 
our  schools,  enabling  them  to  obtain  a  complete  and 
useful  course  of  domestic  instruction  when  applied  in 
conjunction  with  the  other  subjects  taught  in  the  schools. 

Citizenship. 

Also,  among  subjects  for  adults,  the  classes  in 
Industrial  History  and  Citizenship  have  been  held  at 
intermittent  periods,   and  we   are  pleased  to  say  that 


OUR   EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT.  327 

much  valuable  work  has  been  accomplished  in  these 
classes.  The  study  of  these  things  calls  for  a  close 
appHcation,  and  it  is  grateful  to  find  that  when  circum- 
stances permitted  many  men  and  women  gathered 
to  read  together  and  discuss  those  problems,  on  the 
correct  solution  of  which  a  right  understanding  of  the 
control  and  government  of  public  affairs  depends.  It  is 
with  regret  that  we  record  that  here  again,  as  once 
before  referred  to,  the  unceasing  demands  on  the  time 
of  the  workers  has  prevented  the  holding  of  these 
classes  during  the  continuance  of  the  war  ;  but  despite 
these  obstacles  it  is  the  determination  of  the  Educational 
Committee  to  revive  them,  as  they  believe  in  their 
immense  value  to  the  worker  in  view  of  the  problems 
that  will  face  this  country  in  the  near  future. 

For  the  Juvenile. 

The  children  of  the  members  have  not  been  neglected 
by  the  Educational  Committee.  Realising  that  you 
cannot  at  too  earl}'  an  age  foster  ideas  worth  having 
in  the  young  mind,  they  have  persistently  carried  out 
a  series  of  entertainments,  both  summer  and  winter, 
for  the  juvenile  portion  of  the  members'  families. 

For  the  last  three  years  large  gatherings  of  four  or 
five  thousand  have  been  held  in  the  City  Cricket  Grounds, 
at  which  suitable  entertainments  have  been  provided  ; 
while  at  Christmastide  entertainments  are  held  in 
various  parts  of  the  areas  in  which  the  membership 
reside,  and  about  4,000  children  look  forward  eacli  year 
for  the  return  of  the  happy  annual  affairs.  Thus  from 
a  very  early  age  the  idea  of  the  "  Co-op."  is  associated 
with  the  good  things  of  life,  and  later  years  see  these 


328  OUR   EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT. 

young  folks  turn  their  attention  to  the  society  that  in 
childhood  thought  of  and  helped  them. 

Other  Forms  of  Work. 

In  many  other  ways  the  committee  endeavour  to 
carry  out  the  "  educational  and  recreational  "  work 
confided  to  them. 

The  invitation  concert  given  in  March  of  each  year 
to  the  aged  and  poor,  when  600  or  more  guests  are 
invited  and  a  pleasant  evening  closes  with  a  small 
presentation  parcel  of  useful  goods,  is  a  feature  of  the 
work  that  has  yielded  many  happy  results. 

District  meetings  are  held  at  varying  places  and  periods, 
at  which  addresses  on  Co-operation  are  given  by  members 
of  the  committees  and  others,  and  these  are  always 
highly  appreciated.  This  has  now  been  the  practice 
for  many  years,  and  has  proved  of  great  value. 

At  one  of  the  outlying  branches — viz.,  Walsgrave — 
the  Education  Committee  have  made,  with  the  help 
of  the  members  there,  the  branch  hall  over  the  store 
a  centre  of  social  life  for  the  district,  and  the  result  has 
well  justified  the  experiment.  During  the  winter 
months  classes  and  lectures  are  held  every  night  during 
the  week,  and  are  uniformly  successful. 

For  a  long  number  of  years  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  society  was  held  successively  in  the  Corn  Exchange, 
Hertford  Street,  and  then  in  the  Baths  Assembly  Hall, 
and  on  these  occasions  the  part  of  the  Educational 
Committee  consisted  in  providing  the  musical  section 
of  the  evening's  programme.  This  was  generally  the 
work  of  the  Festival  Choirs,  and  for  over  fifteen  years  it 
formed  a  very  highly  attractive  feature  of  the  gatherings. 


OUR    EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT.  329 

Diirin.tr  the  winter  sessions  of  1913-14-15  a  series  of 
workers'  conferences  was  held,  at  which  delegates  from 
all  the  workers'  organisations  in  the  city  attended,  and 
subjects  w-ere  discussed  on  the  Saturday  afternoons 
of  common  and  vital  interest  to  the  workers.  These 
meetings  were  highly  educative  and  of  great  value, 
as  showing  the  many  ways  in  which  Co-operation  could 
lielp  in  the  alleviation  of  distress  and  the  uplift  of  the 
toiler.  These  unfortunately  had  to  cease  o\™g  to  war 
conditions  in  the  workshops. 

In  the  distribution  of  Co-operative  literature  the  Com- 
mittee have  found  the  pages  of  the  Wheatsheaf  (now  a 
household  need)  extremely  useful,  and  6,000  of  the 
monthly  magazines  are  distributed  gratuitous!}'  to 
members  and  are  highly  appreciated.  The  Yearly 
Calendar  published  by  the  Educational  Committee  is 
also  highly  prized,  giving  as  it  does  the  dates  of  matter 
and  times  that  affect  the  membership  in  relation  to  the 
society's  work.  An  annual  order  of  10,000  is  only  just 
sufficient  to  meet  the  needs  for  this  form  of  information. 

The  Co-operative  News,  the  weekly  organ  of  tht^ 
movement,  is  on  sale  at  every  store,  at  a  halfpenny 
cost  to  the  purchaser,  and  should  be  more  in  circulation 
than  it  is  at  present. 

Long  Services. 

Before  closing  this  short  resume  of  the  educational 
work,  a  word  should  be  said  as  to  the  long  ser\dces  of 
some  of  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  have  worked  for 
the  societ}'  through  its  means. 

Notable  is  the  case  of  Mrs.  M.  Shufflebotham,  who  was 
one    of    the    earliest    members    and    whose    connection, 


330  OUR    EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT. 

though  broken  at  one  time,  was^in  all  over  twent}'  3'ears 
with  the  committee.  Much  of  this  time  Mrs.  Shuffle- 
bo  tham  was  also  president  of  the  Women's  Guild,  and 
in  the  dual  capacity  did  excellent  work  wholeheartedly 
and  well. 

Mr.  Councillor  \V.  Jones,  who  was  elected  in  1889 
and  made  chairman  in  the  same  year,  remained  in  that 
office  until  his  retirement  from  the  committee  in  191 5, 
and  during  that  long  period  was  devoted  to  the  work 
not  onlv  on  this  committee  but  in  the  city  at  large, 
serving  on  the  old  school  board  and  on  the  local  education 
authority  in  succession,  being,  later  appointed  chairman 
of  the  Education  Committee  of  the  Council  of  the  City, 
the  highest  honour  his  colleagues  could  pay  him  and  a 
tribute  to  his  unceasing  labours, 

Mr.  William  Adams  was  elected  in  1897,  and  for  17 
\'ears  remained  a  member  of  the  committee,  earning 
the  high  esteem  of  his  fellow  members  and  receiving  on 
his  retirement  an  illuminated  address  as  a  token  of 
their  appreciation  of  his  labours  for  the  membership. 

In  1901  ]\Ir.  W.  Compton  first  joined  the  committee, 
and  still  remains  a  member,  and  has  rendered  valuable 
aid  to  his  colleagues  in  all  forms  of  their  labour. 

Mr.  James  Clay  was  elected  in  1893,  and  the  same 
year  WcLs  appointed  secretary  to  the  committee,  and  has 
held  the  ofhce  unbrokenly  up  to  the  present  time. 

The  present  chairman  of  the  committee,  Mr.  W.  E. 
Wood,  was  elected  in  January,  1910,  and  accepted  the 
chairmanship  on  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Jones.  Mr.  \\'ood 
is  an  enthusiast  in  co-operative  and  kindred  work,  and 
under  his  leadership  mucli  good  work  for  the  members 
has  been  done. 


OUR   EDUCATIONAL   DEPARTMENT  331 

The  other  members  of  the  present  committee  are 
Mrs.  E.  Chalker,  who  is  also  secretary  of  the  Coventry 
branch  of  the  Women's  Guild  ;  Miss  H.  Parker,  whose 
work  in  the  Women's  Ambulance  Classes  has  been 
alluded  to  ;  Mr.  J.  H.  Pendlebury,  who  is  secretary  to 
the  Coventry  Men's  Guild  ;  and  Mr.  W.  T.  Xewlove, 
whose  work  as  organiser  of  the  building  trades  specially 
qualifies  him  for  useful  work  on  this  committee. 

To  the  high  ideals  and  unswerving  loyalt}^  of  those 
members  who  have  passed  over  the  "  great  divide  "  or 
who  have  retired  from  the  activities  of  service  we  pay 
the  tribute  due.  To  those  of  us  who  remain  comes  the 
call  to  "  carry  on,"  so  that  through  the  years  the 
"  unceasing  purpose  runs,"  and  those  who  follow  us 
may  say  that  we  did  well  for  the  city  we  lived  in,  and 
served  our  day  and  generation  faithfully  and  weU. 


Chapter  XLIIl. 


Women's  Work  in  Co-operation. 

"  The  female  woman  is  one  of  the  greatest  institooshuns 
of  which  this  land  can  boste.  It  is  onpossible  to  get 
along  without  her.  She  is  good  in  sickness — good  in 
wellness — good  all  the  time."-  Artemus  Ward. 

\S  Theodore  Parker  long  ago  pointed  out,  a  woman 

/  \       has  the  same  human  nature  that  a  man  has, 

-^      ^     the  same  human  rights — to  Ufe,  Uberty,  and 

the    pursuit    of    happiness — the    same    human    duties  ; 

and  they  are  as  inalienable  in  a  woman  as  in  a  man. 

The  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society  has 
never  placed  a  ban  on  women  members.  From  some 
points  of  view  it  might  be  argued  that  they  have  the 
greater  concern  in  the  movement,  for  are  they  not  the 
housekeepers  and  don't  they  spend  the  money  ?     > 

Mr.  Holyoake,  in  his  "  History  of  Co-operation," 
tells  a  good  story  of  woman's  sagacity.  He  says — 
Women  were  often  the  best  friends  of  the  store,  and 
persuaded  their  husbands  to  become  members  when  they 
had  not  the  sense  to  do  so  themselves.  In  promoting 
industrial  partnership  plans  they  often  show  quicker 
wit  than  their  husbands.  I  heard  one  say  at  a  partner- 
ship dinner  of  Messrs.  Gimson's  men  at  Leicester,  that 


WOMEN  S   WORK    IN    CO-OPERATION  333 

he  had  no  faith  in  getting  anything  that  way.  His 
\\'ife  said,  "  Well,  don't  be  a  fool.  You  join,  and  give 
me  your  share  of  the  profits  to  buy  a  new  gown  with." 
Ke  made  the  promise,  and  found  she  had  enough  the 
first  year  to  buy  her  three  gowns,  and  then  he  added, 
laughingly,  he  "  was  sorr\^  he  had  made  the  promise." 
(Vol.  II,  page  237). 

Nearly  forty  years  were  to  elapse,  however,  after  the 
starting  of  the  Rochdale  Pioneers'  Society  before  women 
were  enabled  to  form  an  auxiliary  of  their  own — not  in 
opposition,  but  as  the  complement  to  the  ordinary 
administration,  and  to  work  in  their  own  sphere. 

The  \\  omen's  Co-operative  Guild  dates  from  1883, 
its  objects  being,  says  "  Hazell's  Annual  "  for  1916. 
"  to  educate  women  in  Co-operative  principles,  and 
increase  their  power  and  acti\4ty  in  the  movement. 
It  has  31,500  members  in  nearly  600  branches.  Its  main 
lines  of  work  have  recently  been  in  the  spread  of  Co- 
operation among  the  poor,  the  housing  question, 
anti-credit,  divorce  law  reform,  and  citizenship  cam- 
paign." 

The  title  is  self-commendatory  :  none  can  disagree 
with  the  contention  of  Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox,  the 
American  poetess,  that  the  term  Woman  is  far  grander 
than  that  of  "  lady." 

Of  honourable  women  there  were  not  a  few  who 
had  espoused  Co-operation,  and  who  had  all  along  been 
connected  with  the  Perseverance  Society.  In  fact 
women  were  among  its  first  members,  and  their  work 
has  been  a  part  of  the  institution.  Very  shortly  after 
the  inauguration  of  the  Women's  Co-operative  Guild 
it  was  determined  to  start  a  branch  in  Coventry.     The 


334  WOMEN  S    WORK    IN    CO-OPERATION 

first  meeting  was  held  on  November  20th,  1884,  eight 
members  being  present,  and  a  president  (Mrs.  Shuffle- 
botham),  a  secretary  (Miss  Shufflebotham)  and  other 
officers  being  appointed.  Shortly  afterwards  the 
branch  was  affiliated  to  the  national  organisation. 

The  first  social  function  appears  to  have  been  an 
al  fresco  gathering  by  invitation  of  the  president  (Mrs. 
Shufflebotham)  at  her  house,  Canley  Cottage,  Whor 
Lane,  when  the  members  not  only  had  a  treat  in  viewing 
the  gardens,  but  in  learning  something  of  the  nature 
and  habits  of  busy  bees. 

The  last  day  of  the  year  1886  was  celebrated  by  a 
friendly  and  convivial  meeting  in  the  Assembly  Room, 
West  Orchard,  commencing  with  a  party  at  5  o'clock, 
and  ending  with  a  dance  when  the  bells  were  ringing 
in  the  New  Year.  The  tables  being  cleared,  a  musical 
and  miscellaneous  entertainment  commenced  at  7  o'clock 
and  was  brought  to  a  close  at  9  by  a  cordial  vote  of  thanks 
to  the  chairman  and  president  of  the  society.  The 
meeting  passed  off  well,  all  being  pleased. 

During  the  evening  the  following  address  was  read 
by  the  president  of  the  branch  (Mrs.  Shufflebotham)  : — 
"  Although  the  Coventry  branch  of  the  Women's 
Co-operative  Guild  has  been  in  existence  two  years, 
this  may  be  regarded  as  our  first  annual  meeting.  Yet 
I  think  it  will  be  acknowledged  that  we  have  not  been 
idle.  At  the  commencement  of  every  movement 
difficulties  will  naturally  arise,  and  we  were  not  without 
them  ;  but  the  committee  of  the  Perseverance  Society, 
by  giving  us  the  use  of  a  room  free,  have  made  these 
difficulties  much  less,  and  we  have  gradually  increased 
in  number  up  to  the  present  time.     Starting  with  seven 


WOMEN  S   WORK    IX    CO-OPERATION  ^^^, 

members,  we  now  number  thirty-iivc,  the  attendance 
being  very  good. 

"  As  there  may  be  some  present  who  do  not  under- 
stand the  objects  of  our  Guild,  it  will  perhaps  be  well 
that  I  should  explain  in  this  brief  address  some  of  the 
purposes  we  seek  to  carry  out  in  our  meetings.  The 
first  of  these  is  to  gain  greater  knowledge  of  Co-operation, 
and  to  do  our  best  to  spread  this  knowledge  among  others 
so  that  we  may  become  more  united  and  useful  to  each 
other  in  self-help  and  independence.  The  store  we  look 
to  as  the  initial  step  to  greater  things,  but  unless  we 
are  loyal  to  the  store  these  greater  things  may  never  be 
attained. 

"  At  our  fortnighth'  meetings,  which  are  very  pleasant, 
we  read  and  work  together,  and  at  other  times  do  all  we 
can  to  assist  the  committee  of  the  store  at  their  meetings 
and  entertainments,  and  have  just  commenced  a 
sewing  class.  We  think  if  these  guilds  had  been  started 
by  the  women  years  ago,  when  Co-operation  was  such 
uphill  work,  much  more  progress  would  have  been 
made — but  '  better  late  than  never.'  I  am  afraid  in 
those  early  days  we  women  were  a  drag  upon  the  wheel, 
and  thought  this  Co-operation  was  a  fad  of  the  men  to 
take  them  from  their  homes,  and  were  selfish  enough 
to  wish  to  monopolise  them  for  home  consumption, 
disregarding  the  fact  that  there  are  social  as  well  as 
domestic  duties  for  both  men  and  women.  To  the 
honour  of  our  sex  we  have  lately  seen,  however,  what 
a  woman  can  do  when  thoroughly  in  earnest  ;  for  we 
learn  that  at  Southam,  where  a  small  society  had  been 
established  and  through  mismanagement  had  got  into 
difficulties,  so  that  there  was  a  daneer  that  all  or  nearlv 


336  women's  work  in  co-operation 

all  the  savings  of  the  poor  labourers  who  established  it 
would  be  lost,  a  woman  steps  forward,  and  by  her  good 
business  ability  sets  both  their  house  and  books  in  order, 
so  that  there  is  every  likelihood  of  its  flourishing.  And 
even  here  in  this  good  old  city  of  Coventry,  when  the 
courage  of  the  men  had  failed,  and  was  oozing  out, 
so  to  speak,  from  their  finger  ends,  the  firmness  and  good 
faith  of  a  woman  saved  the  store  and  taught  that  lesson 
of  perseverance  embodied  in  its  title.  I  sincerely 
hope  this  lady  is  living,  so  that  we  may  make  her  an 
honorary  member  of  our  guild,  if  unable  to  attend  our 
meetings." 

Another  annual  gathering  held  on  Saturday  evening, 
December  31st,  1887,  possessed  many  points  of  interest. 
The  meeting  was  held  in  the  Co-operative  Assembl}^ 
Room.  The  president  of  the  society  (Mr.  J.  T.  Lower) 
occupied  the  chair,  and  a  varied  and  pleasant  programme 
of  songs,  readings,  etc.,  was  gone  through,  apparently  to 
the  satisfaction  of  all  present.  The  entertainment  was 
followed  by  a  number  of  dances  till  the  old  year  took  its 
departure.  During  the  evening  the  financial  account 
for  1887  was  read  by  the  Secretary  (Miss  A.  Kirby),  and 
the  following  report  was  read  by  the  president  of  the 
branch  (Mrs.  Shuffiebotham)  : — 

"  By  the  kind  permission  of  the  committee  of  the 
Perseverance  Society  we  commenced  the  year  as  we 
hope  to  end  it,  in  this  room,  by  a  merry  dance. 

"  We  started  the  year  with  a  full  complement  of 
members,  as  many  indeed  as  the  room  placed  at  our 
disposal  would  hold,  so  we  could  not  consistently  ask 
more  to  join.  These,  we  are  pleased  to  say,  have  kept 
well  together  during  the  ^^ar.      x\t  our  suggestion  the 


WOMEN"  S    WORK    IX    CO-OPERATION  337 

committee  have  most  considerate!}-  had  the  room 
enlarged,  which  will  add  very  much  to  the  comfort  of 
the  members,  and  \\'ill  enable  us  to  in\ate  more  to  join 
us.  Ha\ing,  by  the  successful  sale  of  our  work  on 
]\Ionday  afternoons,  succeeded  in  getting  a  few  pounds 
in  hand,  as  you  will  learn  from  the  balance  sheet,  we 
hope  to  use  this  in  getting  a  class  up  for  the  study  of 
nursing  or  cookery,  and  especially  do  we  wish  to  interest 
the  young  women  belonging  to  this  society  in  such 
things,  as  they  are  of  so  much  importance  to  their 
future  welfare  and  usefulness.  We  are  pleased  to  note 
that  substantial  progress  has  been  made  in  the  sales  in 
all  departments  of  the  Perseverance  Society,  and  we 
hope  and  believe  some  of  this  progress  has  been  due  to 
the  Guild.  A  large  held  of  usefulness  is  still  open  in 
this  direction. 

"  The  work  especially  of  productive  societies  who 
share  profits  with  workers  should  be  asked  for,  and, 
if  good  and  supplied  at  a  reasonable  price,  purchased 
in  preference  to  any  other,  for  by  this  means  the  workers 
can  be  helped  in  a  practical  way  to  emancipate  them- 
selves and  become  their  o\vn  employers.  It  is  little 
use  preaching  up  Co-operation  unless  we  practice  it  ! 
Sticking  to  your  owti  shop,  and  adding  to  your  own 
as  well  as  its  prosperity',  will  be  far  more  likely  to  bring 
on  the  good  time  when  honest  labour  shall  everj^vhere 
meet  its  just  reward,  than  running  after  cheap  shops 
started  b}'  others,  who  either  want  to  make  profit  out 
of  you  or  sweat  it  out  of  working  men  or  women  whose 
poverty  makes  them  powerless  to  resist. 

"  The  '  coming  of  age  '  of  the  Perseverance  Society 
next  spring  will,  we  trust,  be  celebrated  in  a  befitting 


338  women's  work  in  co-operation 

manner,  and  we  also  trust  that  all  the  help  we  can  give 
will  be  heartily  rendered  to  make  this  celebration  a 
grand  success  and  show  to  outsiders  that  now  we  have 
passed  the  age  of  infancy  we  mean  to  do  the  work  of 
grown-up  men  and  women. 

"  In  a  place  like  Coventry,  if  people  were  only  half 
awake  to  their  true  interests,  we  should  soon  double 
or  treble  our  membership.  This  celebration  should  be 
made  a  means  of  awakening  some  of  them  at  least 
from  their  slumbers." 

The  remainder  of  this  chapter  on  "  Woman's  Work  " 
is  written  from  memoranda  kindly  prepared  by  the 
committee  of  the  guild  : — 

For  many  years  good  and  useful  work  was  done 
under  the  presidency  of  Mrs.  Shufflebotham  and  a 
committee  of  willing  workers,  a  room  being  provided 
on  the  West  Orchard  premises  by  the  kindness  of  the 
management  committee  of  the  society. 

The  first  object  of  the  members  of  the  guild  was  to 
spread  the  principles  of  Co-operation,  and  at  the  same 
time  help  on  any  work  which  stood  in  need  of  such 
assistance  as  they  could  give. 

Garments  were  made  and  given  to  poor  children  ; 
old  garments  renovated,  and  sewing  and  cutting-out 
taught  ;  while  reading  from  the  Co-operative  Nezcs  and 
other  literature  was  made  a  point  of  as  an  educational 
work. 

Funds  were  raised  by  small  weekly  gifts  from  members, 
and  concerts  and  dances  ;  these,  with  the  proceeds  of 
sales  of  work,  went  to  charitable  purposes,  and  a  gift 
to  the  Coventry  and  Warwickshire  Hospital  of  an 
invalid  chair. 


WOMEN  S    WORK    IN    CO-OPERATION  339 

A  singing  class  was  also  formed,  with  Mr.  \V.  Ward 
as  teacher,  and  was  well  attended. 

At  the  end  of  five  years  a  grant  of  £5  was  made  by 
the  Educational  Committee,  the  work  ha\ing  been 
carried  on  previously  without  any  financial  assistance. 

The  guild  members  were  always  anxious  to  place 
their  services  at  the  disposal  of  the  society's  committee 
in  their  social  and  educational  efforts,  and  they  have 
assisted  on  many  occasions. 

Increase  of  membership  was  almost  impossible  for 
some  years,  o\dng  to  want  of  accommodation  ;  but  a 
larger  room  being  eventually  found,  invitations  were 
issued  to  those  who  were  likely  to  join,  and  with  grati- 
fying success. 

Mrs.  Shufflebotham,  at  the  end  of  twenty-five  years' 
service,  decided  to  resign  her  position  as  president,  but 
consented  to  remain  a  guild  member.  A  presentation 
was  made  to  her  of  a  flower  and  fruit  stand,  which 
carried  with  it  the  esteem  and  respect  of  all  the  members. 

The  members  unanimously  elected  Mrs.  M.  A.  Keene 
to  the  position  of  president,  which  position  she  has 
continued  to  hold  to  the  present  time.  On  the  com- 
pletion of  ten  years'  presidency  the  guild  acknowledged 
her  services  by  presenting  her  with  a  flower  and  fruit 
stand.  The  presentation  was  made  by  two  of  the 
oldest  members,  who  were  amongst  the  first  committee, 
viz..  Mrs.  Allen  and  Mrs.  Kenning,  who,  together  with 
Mrs.  Kirby,  Mrs.  Burbury,  Miss  Shufflebotham,  and  the 
late  Mrs.  Coulson,  and  Mrs.  \\'ard,  did  so  much  earnest 
work  at  the  beginning. 

The  membership  has  increased,  and  before  the  war 
was  considerably  over  one  hundred  paid-up  members. 


340  WOMEN  S    WORK    IN    CO-OPERATION 

A  most  useful  and  much  needed  work  has  been 
carried  on  by  the  lending  out  to  Co-operative  members 
of  all  kinds  of  appliances  for  sick  rooms,  with  spinal 
carriage,  bath  chairs,  and  crutches.  Applications  for 
all  these  articles  have  been  so  numerous  as  to  fully 
justify  the  expenditure.  A  very  small  charge  is  made 
to  cover  repairs,  the  initial  outlay  being  granted  up  to 
£20  by  the  members  of  the  society,  the  guild  undertaking 
the  care  and  management  of  the  articles,  with  Mrs. 
Newbold  (secretary)   and  a  committee. 

A  free  tea  and  entertainment  are  also  given  annually 
to  two  hundred  men  and  women  over  sixty  years  of 
age,  an  event  which  is  looked  forward  to  with  pleasure 
by  the  aged  guests. 

The  sewing  and  cutting-out  have  now  been  given  up, 
and  an  entirely  educative  Co-operative  work  is  aimed 
at,  such  questions  as  the  abolition  of  credit  trading  and 
entrance  fees,  women's  work  on  committees,  suffrage, 
and  divorce  law  reform  receiving  consideration  at  the 
guild  meetings.  Maternity  and  children's  welfare  have 
been  given  a  good  deal  of  attention.  The  guild  has 
representatives  on  the  committees  for  these  objects,  and 
they  are  among  those  who  desire  the  responsibility  for 
the  two  latter  subjects  to  be  placed  on  the  shoulders  of 
the  municipal  authorities. 

The  additional  accommodation  and  the  increase  in 
the  amount  of  the  annual  grant  from  the  educational 
committee  have  enabled  the  guild  to  enlarge  its  various 
spheres  of  work,  and  the  education  of  women  members, 
so  that  they  may  become  more  loyal  co-operators  and 
understand  and  teach  others  what  are  the  great  under- 
lying principles  of  the  movement.     The  grant  has  also 


WOMEN  S    WORK    IX    CO-OPERATION  343 

enabled  the  guild  to  send  delegates  to  conference  and 
congress,  who  are  pledged  to  bring  reports  so  that  the 
whole  of  the  members  may  get  the  benefit  of  papers 
and  discussions. 

Co-operative  and  other  friends  are  invited  to  \nsit 
the  guild  meetings  and  give  addresses  on  any  interesting 
questions,  so  that  the  educational  side  of  the  work  mav 
be  on  a  broad  basis,  and  the  desire  to  help  the  great 
movement  and  its  various  agencies  fostered  in  the 
hearts  and  minds  of  the  members  that  they  may  hand 
on  to  their  children  the  knowledge  of  co-operative 
principles. 

The  guild  feels  much  indebted  to  the  educational 
committee  of  the  society  for  making  it  possible  for  them 
to  hold  classes  and  a  two  days'  school  once  a  year,  to 
which  members  of  neighbouring  branches  are  invited. 
As  a  result,  two  members  sat  for  the  Co-operative 
Union's  examination  last  session,  and  passed — viz., 
]\Irs.  Kemp  and  Mrs.  Biggs.  The  latter  is  also  a  Sectional 
Council  member  and  has  served  on  the  District  Com- 
mittee. 

Mrs.  Keene  has  been  a  guild  worker  for  many  years, 
being  elected  three  times  sectional  council  member,  and 
also  president  of  the  district.  She  also  has  a  seat  on  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  society.  Mrs.  Keene  is,  too, 
a  guardian  of  the  poor,  ha\ang  been  first  elected  to  that 
body  in  1907. 

The  guild  has  for  some  years  had  two  representatives 
on  the  educational  committee.  Mrs.  Shuffiebotham 
and  i\lrs.  Tipson  were  the  earlier  members,  later  on  Mrs. 
Corrie,  and  now  the  guild  secretary,  Mrs.  Chalkcr, 
is  in  that  position. 


344  WOMEN  S    WORK    IN    CO-OPERATION 

The  present  officers  and  the  committee  are  as  follows  : 
President  :    Mrs.  M.  A.  Keene. 
Vice-President  :    Mrs.  A.  E.  Corrie. 
Treasurer  :    Mrs.  A.  M.  Gand}'. 
Secretary  :    Mrs.  E.  Chalker. 

Committee  :    Mesdames  Allen,  Smith,  York,  Biggs, 

Proctor,   Haywood,  and  Roxbo rough. 

The  meetings  are  held  on  Wednesday  evenings,  and 

the  committee  are  very  glad  to  welcome   any  friends 

or  intending  members,  at  half-past  six  o'clock,  in  the 

guild  room. 


"  \\>  should  fail  in  our  duty  did  we  not  give  a  meed  of 
praise  to  the  Women's  Guild,  whose  value  it  is  impossible 
to  over-estimate  ;  for  we  can  say  without  fear  that  the 
Coventry  and  Rugby  societies  are  all  the  stronger  and 
better  for  having  a  good  branch  of  the  Women's  Guild 
attached  at  each  place,  working  harmoniously  with  the 
educational  and  general  committees  for  the  good  of 
the  societies." — Report  of  the  Coventry  and  District 
Conference  Association  for  1896. 


Chapter  XLI\\ 


The  Men's  Guild. 


Its  Objects  and  Programme. 

■  ■  I  never  yet  met  a  man  who  had  seriously  forecasted 
the  means  by  which  his  fellow-men  could  be  bettered 
who  did  not  detect  the  readiest  means  in  Co- 
operation. The  kindliest  and  most  genial  men 
have  laboured  for  and  advocated  it  ;  the  shrewdest 
and  most  prudent  have  commended  it  ;  and  if  the 
mass  of  working  men  fairly  grapple  with  the 
problem,  and  undertake  to  work  it  out,  the  present 
progress  of  the  English  nation  will  be  as  nothing 
compared  with  its  future." 

— Professor  J.  E.  Thorold  Rogers. 

THE  youngest  branch  of  service  connected  ^vith 
the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society 
is  the  Men's  Guild. 
There  has  seemed  need  of  organisations  to  specialise 
in  spreading  the  light  of  Co-operation  and  re-enthusing 
co-operators.  Women's  Guilds  have  given  strength  to 
the  movement  ;  and  guilds  of  Co-operative  men  have 
opportunities  for  promoting  social  development  on 
Co-operative  principles.  The  fundamental  object  of  a 
Men's  Guild  is  to  promote  Co-operation,  harmoniously 
working  with  the  society  to  which  it  is  an  auxiliary,  and 


346  THE    men's    guild 

by  education  and  advocacy  to  permeate  the  mind  of 
the  community. 

The  National  Co-operative  Men's  Guild  was  started 
in  1910,  and  the  following  is  a  statement  of  its 

Objects. 

Primarily  :  To  arouse,  maintain,  and  increase  interest 
on  the  part  of  men  co-operators  of  all  sections  in  the 
working  and  development  of  the  Co-operative  movement. 

Generally  :  To  make  known  the  principles  of  Co- 
operation and  assist  towards  their  universal  application 
to  human  affairs. 

Motto  : 

"  Unrestricted  Co-operation  for  all  purposes  of  life." 

The  local  branch  was  formed  in  1914.  The  project 
was  introduced  at  a  quarterly  meeting  of  the  society 
by  Mr.  J.  H.  Pendlebury,  and  an  affirmative  resolution 
passed,  upon  which  the  Educational  Committee  took 
action,  members  of  various  trades  unions  and  others 
being  invited  to  a  meeting  at  which  a  provisional  com- 
mittee was  elected. 

Those  responsible  for  the  initiatory  proceedings  made 
it  quite  clear  that  they  desired  the  guild  to  become  a 
useful  auxiliary  ;  to  bring  home  to  their  fellow  co- 
operators  their  personal  and  collective  responsibility  to 
the  society  and  the  movement,  and  to  press  forward  into 
new  spheres. 

Interest  had  already  been  aroused  in  trade  union 
circles,  which  led  to  the  transference  of  considerable 
sums  to  the  C.W.S.  Bank  ;  while  the  Amalgamated 
Society  of  Engineers  instituted  a  Co-operative  Com- 
mittee "  to  enquire  into  the  constructive  principles  of 


THE    MEN  S    GUILD  347 

Co-operation,  and  to  diffuse  the  knowledge  amongst  its 
members."  Their  report  of  December,  1913,  states  : 
"  Our  outlook  extends  from  the  trade  union  members 
to  local  Co-operation,  wholesale,  national,  and  inter- 
national co-operative  effort,  and  the  attendant  blessings 
of  peace  and  goodwill.  The  ever-changing  economic 
position  of  the  workers  and  the  advantages  of  a  better 
understanding  of  the  co-operative  ideal  have  been  brought 
before  you  as  opportunity  offered,  and  will  be  continued 
during  1914."  Other  trade  unions  acted  similarly,  and 
the  Trades  Council  showed  its  confidence  in  the  move- 
ment by  appointing  the  C.W.S.  its  bankers.  Moreover, 
the  classes  in  "  Industrial  History,"  held  by  the  Educa- 
tional Committee,  1913-14-15,  stimulated  the  desire  for 
organisation. 

The  inaugural  meeting  was  held  in  the  Co-operative 
Assembh^  Room,  West  Orchard,  on  Wednesday,  October 
14th,  1914.  It  is  recorded  that  there  was  only  a 
small  attendance,  but  the  spirit  of  the  meeting  was 
satisfactory. 

The  chairman  was  ]\Ir.  J.  Earnshaw,  and  the  honorary 
secretary  pro  tem.  was  Mr.  J.  H.  Pendlebury. 

The  report  of  the  proceedings  to  date  contained  the 
following  passages  : — 

"  In  view  of  the  changed  outlook  in  the  Co-operative 
field  of  activity  consequent  on  the  present  crisis, 
it  is  suggested  that  the  following  facts  be  borne  in 
mind  : — 

"  The  resolution  of  quarterly  meeting  proposed  the 
consolidation  of  local  forces  and  aspirations,  and  the 
provision  of  a  common  platform,  and  a  clearer  under- 
standing of  Co-operative  principle   and  practice  in   its 


348  THE  men's  guild 

relation  to  the  individual,  the  community,  the  nation, 
and  the  international  aspect. 

"  Even  in  a  period  of  prosperity  there  was  need  to 
give  wider  expression  to  our  ideals  and  aspirations,  and 
those  responsible  for  the  resolution  sought  to  give 
practical  effect  to  the  excellent  propaganda  work  of 
educational  committees  at  their  conferences  for  workers, 
by  the  formation  of  a  local  guild  branch. 

"  In  the  meantime  the  war,  with  its  devastating 
influences,  intensifies  the  co-operators'  difficulties  in 
regard  to  future  problems,  and  demands  from  us, 
individually  and  collectively,  our  serious  and  strenuous 
endeavours  to  realise  the  co-operative  ideal  in  the 
work  of  the  guild  in  the  manner  specially  recommended 
by  the  Union." 

The  following  elections  were  made  : — 
President  :    Mr.  J.  Earnshaw. 
Secretary  :    Mr.  J.  H.  Pendlebury. 
Assistant  Secretary  :    Mr.  A.  Sheldon. 
Committee  :     ^lessrs.    Ainsbury,    Compton,    Wood, 
Burrows,    Perkins,   Taylor,   Newlove,   Etheridge, 
Cooper,  and  Pattison. 

At  the  periodical  meetings,  which  are  b}^  no  means 
stiff  and  formal  in  character,  subjects  of  co-operative 
interest  are  discussed,  and  action  taken  as  seems 
desirable — all  based  on  the  fundamental  principle  of 
loyalty  to  the  society  and  harmonious  working  as  an 
auxiliary.  The  year  1915  was  one  of  consolidation 
and  seed-sowing — the  difficulties  of  the  times,  owing  to 
the  war,  having  to  be  overcome.  In  1915-16,  however, 
there  was  a  fairly  good  programme,  which  included  the 
following:  : — 


THE    MEN  S    GUILD  349 

"  Co-operative  Control  of  Raw  Materials,  Prices,  and 
Workers'   Savings  "  :     Mr.   J.   H.   Pendlebury. 

"  Democracy  and  the  War,  with  special  reference  to  the 
apparent  failure  of  Democracy  to  maintain  its  proper 
function  during  the  War  Crisis  "  :    Councillor  Wale. 

"  An  Examination  of  the  reasons  for  the  failure  of  Demo- 
cratic forces  to  be  of  real  use  to  the  people  during  the 
War  "  :    ,AIr.  W.  T.  Xewlove. 

''  Women  and  Democracy  "  :  Mrs.  I\I.  A.  Keene,  President 
of  Coventry  Women's  Guild. 

The  members  also  accepted  with  pleasure  an  in\ita- 
tion  to  attend  an  important  meeting  of  the  Women's 
Guild. 

On  Midsummer  Day,  1916,  a  conference  convened  by 
the  Men's  Guild  was  held  at  which  delegates  from 
co-operative  societies  and  gardeners'  allotment  associa- 
tions met  in  the  Co-operative  Assembly  Room,  to  con- 
sider the  possibility  of  united  action  in  furthering  the 
acquirement  of  land  for  cultivation  by  working  men. 
Mr.  \V.  R.  Wood,  chairman  of  the  educational  committee, 
presided  over  a  good  attendance.  The  proceedings  were 
taken  part  in  by  Mr.  Pendlebury,  Mr.  W.  B.  Rainbow 
(secretary  of  the  Federation  of  Allotment  Holders), 
and  Mr.  G.  Streetly  (secretary  of  the  National  Allotment 
Holders'  Association).  There  was  an  interesting  dis- 
cussion, and  the  following  resolution  was  adopted  : — 
"  That  this  conference,  having  regard  to  the  urgency 
of  the  food  problem,  pledges  itself  to  take  practical 
steps  to  secure  more  equitable  control  of  land  used  for 
the  purpose  of  food  production,  and  other  land  in  the 
district  which  can  be  used  for  that  purpose." 

A  further  conference  was  held  on  Saturday,  October 
I4t]i,  when  ^Ir.  E.  G.  Morrell  read  a  paper  on  "  Steps 


350  THE  men's  guild 

towards  more  equitable  land  tenure,"  which  was  well 
discussed. 

On  September  23rd,  1916,  a  meeting  of  the  Birmingham 
District  Council  was  held  at  Coventry,  when  delegates 
were  present  from  Walsall,  Birmingham,  Coventry,  and 
Worcester.  An  evening  meeting  was  also  held,  at  which 
Councillor  Jones,  J. P.,  president  of  the  Coventry 
Perseverance  Co-operative  Society,  took  the  chair, 
and  in  welcoming  the  Council,  members  of  the  women's 
and  men's  guilds,  and  friends,  about  100  in  number, 
he  said  that  in  the  Co-operative  movement  there  was 
work  for  all.  Women's  and  men's  guilds  were  very 
helpful,  and  would  be  very  important  in  the  future. 
Seeing  from  day  to  day  the  development  of  multiple 
shops,  he  was  of  opinion  that  co-operators  should  increase 
and  not  relax  their  efforts.  There  was  no  movement 
more  able  to  uplift  the  workers  than  Co-operation, 
which  had  a  great  future.  The  men's  guild  and  the 
women's  guild  could  and  did  organise  and  educate  the 
members,  and  he  commended  their  work. 

The  programme  for  1916-17  includes  "  Co-operative 
Insurance,"  "  Joint  Work  with  Labour  organisations," 
"  Co-operative  Control  of  Raw  Materials,"  "  Excess 
Profits  and  Income  Tax,"  "  Amalgamation  and  Over- 
lapping." 

In  view  of  the  jubilee  of  the  society,  the  branch  has 
decided  to  hold  a  week-end  school  at  a  date  to  be 
announced  in  the  Wheatsheaf.  The  suggested  subjects 
are  "  Glimpses  of  Industrial  History  as  shown  in 
Coventry's  Story,"  and  "  Co-operative  History,  with 
special  reference  to  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co- 
operative Society." 


THE    MEN  S    GUILD  35 1 

The  officers  (1916)  are  : — 
President :    Mr.  W.  Compton. 
Vice-President  :    Mr.  W.  T.  Xewlove. 
Treasurer  :    Mr.  E.  Sheldon. 

Secretaries  :    Mr.  J.  H.  Pendlebury,  43,  Mickleton 

Road,    and    Mr.    T.    Barrow,    140,    Melbourne 

Road. 

Committee  :    Messrs.  P.  Scott,  P.  Etheridge,  W.  T. 

Xewlove,  R.  Potts,  S.  Thomas,  and  J.  Xeale. 

Auditor  :    Mr.  J.  E.  Price. 

Additions  to  the  guild  are  earnestly  invited.      The 

primary  qualification  is  membership  (either  personally 

or  through  the  household)  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance 

Co-operative  Society.      Candidates  for  admission  agree 

to  "  abide  by  the  constitution  and  rules  of  the  Xational 

Co-operative  Men's  Guild,  and  do  their  best  to  forward 

its    objects,    to    uphold    and    spread    a    knowledge    of 

Co-operative   principles,    to   extend   the   application   of 

those  principles  to  social  affairs,  and  to  aid  in  all  ways 

and  at  all  times  the  establishment  of  a  trulv  Co-operative 

Commonwealth." 

-\11  information  may  be  obtained  of  the  secretaries 
or  other  officers. 


Chapter  LXV. 


Our  Presidents. 


"  The  history  of  what  man  has  accomphshed  in  this 
world  is,  at  bottom,  the  history  of  the  great  men 
who  have  worked  here." — Carlyle. 

IN    the    whole    fifty   years   of    the   existence   of   the 
Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society,  there 
have  been  but  four  different   persons  occupying 
the   presidential  chair,   viz.  : — 

Mr.  Joseph  Hepworth       -  -    1867  to  1879 

Mr.  J.  H.  Williams  -  -  -    1879  to  1881 

Mr.  William  Jones  -  -  -    1881  to  1886 

Mr.  John  T.  Lower  -  -  -    1886  to  1899 

Mr.  William  Jones  (second  time)    1899  to     — 

Of  these  four  gentlemen,  three  are  still  living— Messrs. 

Jones,  Lower,  and  Williams.     Excellent  portraits  of  all 

of  them  adorn  the  wahs  of  the  society's  committee  room. 

Mr.  Hepworth. 

Mr.  Joseph  Hepworth  was  born  at  Delph,  on  the 
borders  of  Yorkshire  and  Lancashire,  and  about  four 
miles  from  Oldham,  on  loth  April,  1818. 

Coming  to  Coventry  in  1854,  at  the  age  of  36,  his  first 
appointment  was  that  of  librarian  of  the  Subscription 


'£-' 


I  .♦ 


MR.    JOSEPH    HEPWORTH    (eX-PRESIDENT) 


354  OUR  PRESIDENTS 

Library  in  Hertford  Street.  He  shortly  accepted  a 
clerkship  with  the  Coventry  Gas  Company,  remaining, 
with  his  wife,  responsible  for  the  library  until  it  was 
handed  over  to  the  city  to  form  the  nucleus  of  the  new 
Free  Public  Library.  Under  the  Gas  Company,  Mr. 
Hepworth  was  advanced  to  the  position  of  cashier, 
which  he  held  for  the  remainder  of  his  life,  the  latter 
portion  of  his  tenure  being  under  the  Coventry 
Corporation,  who  acquired  the  gas  undertaking  in 
1884. 

Mr.  Hepworth,  who  was  of  course  well  known,  and  it 
may  be  said  as  well  respected,  was  ever  given  to  altruistic 
labours.  A  member  of  the  West  Orchard  Congregational 
Church,  he  was  at  the  head  of  a  class  of  young  men,  by 
whom  he  was  held  in  great  affection  ;  and  his  keen  interest 
in  their  social  welfare  led  him  to  meet  them  of  a  week- 
evening  for  mutual  edification.  Fifty  years  ago  the 
rate  of  working  men's  wages  bore  no  sort  of  comparison 
with  that  of  the  present  day  ;  but  those  young  men  pos- 
sessed character,  and  what  may  be  described  as  a  holy 
discontent  with  things  as  they  were.  Always  an  advocate 
of  self-help  and  thrift,  Mr.  Hepworth  constantly  urged 
the  members  to  endeavour  to  improve  their  social 
position  by  associating  together  for  a  common  purpose. 
Notwithstanding  his  zeal  in  religious  work  and  his 
serious  altruism,  he  had  a  good  sense  of  humour,  and 
the  most  morose  person  was  not  proof  against  the 
infectiousness  of  his  almost  convulsive  laughter.  Young 
men  were  therefore  ready  to  listen  to  him,  and  to  accept 
his  advice.  Being  acquainted  with  the  early  history 
of  the  Rochdale  Equitable  Pioneers'  Society,  the  form 
of  associated  effort  which  Mr.  Hepworth  recommended 


OUR   PRESIDENTS  355 

was  that  knowii  by  the  not  very  euphonious  name  of 
Co-operation.  In  this  way  was  brought  about  the 
formation  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative 
Society  in  1S67. 

Thencefor\vard  the  greater  part  of  Mr.  Hepworth's 
leisure  was  spent  in  promoting  the  Co-operative  move- 
ment in  Coventry  and  elsewhere.  It  was  but  fitting  he 
should  be  elected  first  president  of  the  Perseverance 
Society,  and  this  office  he  was  annually  re-elected  to 
fill  until  1S79,  "^vhen  he  became  the  \ictim  of  an  intrigue. 
The  Coventry  Herald  put  it  very  softh'  when  it  said 
"  he  was  forced  to  resign  in  consequence  of  tradespeople 
complaining  to  the  directors  of  the  Gas  Company  that 
one  of  their  servants  was  promoting  a  movement 
opposed  to  their  customers'  interests." 

About  1S74  ]\Ir.  Hepworth  was  elected  to  the  Midland 
Section  of  the  Central  Co-operative  Board,  and  about 
1SS6  he  was  appointed  Midland  representative  on  the 
Educational  Committee  of  the  Co-operative  Union. 
He  attended  many  of  the  annual  Congresses,  whereat 
he  made  acquaintance  with  other  leaders  of  Co-operation 
and  assisted  in  the  national  movement.  In  iSSi  at 
Leeds,  he  read  a  paper  on  "  Co-operative  Production  "  ; 
in  1884,  at  Derby,  he  gave  a  paper  on  "  Surplus  Capital  "; 
and  at  Lincoln,  in  1891,  he  presided  at  the  third  day's 
session. 

Mr.  Hepworth  died  in  harness.  On  Tuesday  evening, 
September  12th,  1893,  he  attended  a  meeting  of  the 
Coventry  Co-operative  Watch  Manufacturing  Society, 
of  which  he  was  president,  at  the  offices  of  the  society, 
35,  Mount  Street.  Having  returned  only  a  few  days 
pre\'iously  from  a  visit  to  America,  he  was  conversing 


356  OUR  PRESIDENTS 

about  certain  information  he  had  obtained  which  he 
thought  might  be  useful  to  the  Coventry  watch 
trade,  w^hen  he  was  seized  with  a  fainting  fit,  and 
died  in  the  arms  of  Mr.  Charles  Shufiiebotham,  the 
secretary. 

The  funeral  took  place  on  the  following  Saturday, 
at  the  Coventry  Cemetery,  when  deputations  attended 
from  various  Co-operative  and  other  organisations. 
The  Rev.  George  Bainton,  minister  of  West  Orchard 
Chapel,  who  had  knowTi  the  deceased  gentleman  for 
ten  years,  officiated  throughout,  and  at  a  memorial 
service  the  following  day,  paid  an  earnest  tribute  to 
Mr.  Hepworth's  personal  life  and  his  altruistic  labours. 

At  the  succeeding  annual  meeting  of  the  Coventry 
Perseverance  Co-operative  Society,  on  November  13th, 
1893,  the  following  reference  was  made  in  the  committee's 
report  : — 

"  They  were  reminded  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Hepworth, 
the  founder  and  for  many  3'Tars  the  president  of  the 
society,  that  those  who  started  the  work  were  now 
growing  old  in  the  cause.  They  laboured  long  and 
earnestly  when  they  had  no  benefit  to  share  and  the 
benefits  received  to-day  were  the  result  of  the  good 
foundation  laid  by  the  continued  earnest  work  of  those 
early  promoters  of  the  cause." 

To  the  honour  of  Mr.  Hepworth's  memory  it  should  be 
recorded  that  he  gave  his  services  freely  to  the  Coventry 
Perseverance  Society,  his  only  tangible  reward  being 
the  present,  in  1875,  of  which  mention  is  made  in  an 
earlier  chapter.  He  enriched  the  community  in  which 
he  lived,  but  like  many  other  public  benefactors,  he 
died  a  comparatively  poor  man. 


MR.    J.    H.    WILLIAMS    (LX-PRESIDEXT). 


MR.    J.    T.    LOWER    (eX-PRESIDENT). 


our  presidents  359 

Mr.  Williams. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Williams  was  the  representative  in  Coventry 
of  a  Liverpool  firm  of  watch  manufacturers.  He  joined 
the  society  in  December,  1874,  was  first  a  member  of 
the  committee,  for  some  time  treasurer,  and  was  elected 
president  in  April,  1879.  At  that  time  the  condition 
of  the  societ}^  gave  rise  to  considerable  anxiety.  The 
number  of  members  and  the  amount  of  trade  done 
remained  stationary,  but  o\ving  to  increased  cost  of 
goods  the  surplus  was  less  ;  a  flour  difficulty  had  to  be 
dealt  with,  and  in  1880  there  was  a  loss  in  the  boot  and 
shoe  department.  The  "  di\4dend  "  of  course  decreased  ; 
it  came  as  low  as  is.  in  the  pound.  The  resources  of 
the  management  were  severely  taxed,  but  the  committee 
and  officials  bravely  struggled  on.  Mr.  Williams 
resigned  in  Januar}^  1881,  on  account  of  removal,  and 
is  believed  to  be  still  residing  in  Liverpool. 

Mr.  Lower. 

Mr.  John  Thomas  Lower  is  a  senior  member  of  the 
Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society,  his  pass 
book  being  Xo.  3.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Mr.  Thomas 
Ascough  Lower,  who  was  at  first  a  ribbon  weaver,  but 
afterwards  better  known  as  the  Cit}'  Crier  for  many 
years,  and  as  a  musician. 

Mr.  J.  T.  Lower  was  born  in  the  Hill  Fields  district 
on  August  13th,  1842.  By  apprenticeship  to  the  watch 
trade  for  seven  years  he  acquired  the  freedom  of  the 
city.  He  has  worked  at  his  calling  for  the  greater  part 
of  his  long  life,  and  is  now  in  receipt  of  benefit  as  one 
of  the  senior  freemen. 


360  OUR    PRESIDENTS 

Not  only  was  Mr.  Lower  an  original  member  of  the 
society,  but  he  was  elected  on  the  first  committee,  and 
is  the  only  surviving  member  of  it.  He  may  be 
characterised  as  a  typical  working  man  co-operator, 
and  an  earnest  pioneer  of  the  modern  local  movement. 
On  retiring  from  the  committee  in  January,  1881,  he 
received  from  his  colleagues  a  written  expression  of 
regret  and  of  thanks  for  his  past  services.  In  1886, 
while  still  a  private  member,  Mr.  Lower  was  invited  to 
accept  a  nomination  for  the  presidency,  and  was  duly 
elected  to  the  position.  In  that  year  the  society's  sales 
amounted  to  /i5o30,  and  the  return  on  members' 
purchases  was  at  the  rate  of  is.  4d.  in  the  pound.  He 
was  annually  re-elected  for  the  next  twelve  years. 
Mr.  Lower  was  a  very  assiduous  president,  and  it  is 
probable  that  his  concern  for  the  society  involved  more 
time  and  energy  than  he  could  reasonably  afford  as  a 
working  man.  He  found  a  recompense,  however,  in  its 
almost  continuous  progress.  At  one  time  the  dividend 
mounted  to  3s.  in  the  pound,  but  afterwards  it  settled 
down  to  2s.  6d.,  which  was  the  rate  in  1899  on  sales 
totalling  to  nearly  £86,000.  During  his  presidency — 
viz.,  in  1892 — the  society  bought  the  Britannia  Music 
Hall,  Fleet  Street,  and  turned  the  premises  into  shops. 
The  Britannia  Buildings  on  the  east  side  of  West 
Orchard  were  purchased  a  few  years  afterwards.  Mr. 
Lower  was  a  delegate  to  a  number  of  Co-operative 
Congresses,  and  in  1894  and  1895  was  a  member  of  the 
Midland  Section  of  the  Co-operative  Board.  He  also 
took  part  in  many  local  and  district  conferences,  and 
during  his  presidency  and  many  years'  secretaryship  of 
the  Coventry  District  Conference  Association  he  visited 
every  co-operative  society  in  Warwickshire. 


OUR    PRESIDENTS  361 

At  a  District  Conference  held  at  Kenilworth,  in  the 
spring  of  1893,  Mr.  Lower  read  a  paper  prepared  at  the 
request  of  the  Kenilworth  Societ}',  on  "  Unity  in 
Co-operation."  He  pointed  out  the  regrettable  amount 
of  disunion  in  the  movement,  caused  by  some  who 
lived  and  worked  in  it  only  for  themselves,  and  not  for 
the  general  good.  He  also  complained  of  the  want  of 
more  unity  among  the  societies  in  the  district,  and  main- 
tained they  would  never  get  all  the  good  there  was  to 
be  had  from  the  movement  until  the  societies,  as  well  as 
individuals,  formed  themselves  into  a  sohd  and  united 
body  to  resist  every  attempt  to  sow  disunion  among 
them.  He  suggested  that  the  Kenilworth,  Stoneleigh, 
Leek  Wootton,  Coventry,  and  other  societies  in  the 
immediate  neighbourhood  should  unite  to  form  a  dairy 
farm  in  the  splendid  grazing  district  around  Stoneleigh 
and  Kenilworth,  and  said  he  had  ascertained  that 
several  farmers  in  the  district  would  be  willing  to  take 
up  shares  in  a  genuine  concern. 

In  18S8  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative 
Society  suffered  from  the  strange  affliction  of  "  surplus 
capital."  A  proposal  was  even  made  that  members 
should  be  asked  to  reduce  their  holdings  I  ]\Ir.  Lower, 
however,  argued,  that  as  the  members  had  entrusted 
their  capital  to  the  committee,  that  body  ought  to 
de\ise  a  means  of  its  profitable  employment,  and  he 
was  instrumental  in  bringing  into  existence  the  house- 
purchasing  department,  which  was  started  early  in 
1889.  Several  branch  stores  were  opened  during  his 
presidency.  \Mien  ]\Ir.  Lower  retired  from  office  in 
1899,  the  membership  had  started  on  its  second  thousand 
and  the  prospects  of  the  society  were  satisfactory. 
At  the  age  of  74  his  interest  in  it  is  maintained. 


362  OUR    PRESIDENTS 

For  about  a  dozen  years  past  Mr.  Lower  has  been 
engaged  in  clerical  duties  at  the  inspection  and  marking- 
off  department  of  the  Daimler  Company's  works,  and 
on  9th  July,  1915,  he  was  given  a  present  by  the  workmen 
and  office  staff  at  the  celebration  of  his  golden  wedding. 
He  was  complimented,  too,  on  his  unvarying  punctuality 
as  a  six-o'clock-in-the-moming  man,  and  ori  his  good 
health,  capabilities,  and  agreeable  character. 

Councillor  William  Jones,  J. P. 

From  his  earliest  days  Mr.  Jones  has  had  an  acquaint- 
ance wath  the  Arctic  region  of  poverty.  He  was  born 
at  the  Holbrooks,  Foleshill,  on  August  loth,  1841. 
His  father,  like  many  other  poor  men,  was  rich  in  a 
family  of  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living, 
the  most  juvenile  being  69  and  the  oldest  81  years  of 
age.  The  family  came  to  live  in  Coventr}^  in  1845, 
and  the  mother  died  two  years  later. 

Mr.  Jones  was  never  sent  to  a  day  school  :  the  only 
"  secular  "  instruction  he  received  was  from  teachers 
connected  with  the  Wesleyan  Sunday  School,  Lockhurst 
Lane,  which,  although  a  Churchman,  he  most  gratefully 
remembers. 

When  only  eight  years  old  the  lad  was  put  to  work 
connected  with  ribbon  weaving,  and  was  afterwards 
placed  with  a  Mr.  Payne,  in  Carpenter's  Lane,  Foleshill, 
to  learn  the  trade,  and  stayed  with  him  until  he  was  in 
his  twentieth  year.  Then  came  the  great  strike  of  i860, 
and  the  collapse  of  the  Coventry  silk  industry.  Mr. 
Jones,  like  many  others,  migrated  to  Lancashire,  to 
be  employed  in  calico  weaving.  The  "  Cotton  Famine," 
arising  from   the   American   Civil   War,   occurred   very 


COUNXILLOR    W.    JONES;    ESQ.,    J. P.    (PRESIDENT). 


OUR    PRESIDENTS  365 

shortly  afterwards,  to  a  great  extent  depri\ing  two 
millions  of  persons  of  their  usual  means  of  livelihood, 
and  gradually  reducing  them  to  destitution.  Conse- 
quently for  several  months  Mr.  Jones  had  very  little 
to  do,  earning  only  about  6s.  6d.  per  week,  out  of  which 
he  had  to  pay  half-a-crown  for  lodgings.  Living  on  4s. 
a  week  certainly  did  not  leave  a  very  great  margin  for 
luxurious  indulgence,  and  the  hardships  he  endured  he 
does  not  care  to  recall.  He  has  been  known  to  say, 
however,  that  a  similar  experience  would  be  very  good  dis- 
cipline for  some  of  the  young  "  knuts  "  of  the  present  day  ! 
At  the  end  of  1861  Mr.  Jones  returned  to  Coventry, 
and  the  following  year  he  was  married.  About  eighteen 
months  afterwards  he  again  migrated — this  time  to 
Leicester,  engaging  in  elastic  web  weaving,  at  which  he 
remained  about  five  years.  Returning  once  more  to 
Coventry — this  time  for  a  permanency/ — he  obtained 
employment  with  the  Coventry  Elastic  Web  \Vea\ing 
Company,  with  whom  he  remained  three  years.  Then 
came  a  momentous  decision — he  determined  to  make 
an  attempt  to  burst  the  bands  of  his  social  en\4ronment. 
It  happened  about  1872  a  number  of  "  working  men 
firms  "  were  formed  in  Coventry,  and  one  of  these 
Mr.  Jones  joined,  ha\ing  seven  partners.  Starting  in 
premises  at  Wellington  Street,  Hill  Fields,  the  firm  had 
uphill  work  for  a  long  period,  Mr.  Jones,  who  was 
appointed  manager,  frequently  toiling  from  six  in  the 
morning  until  ten  at  night  :  it  was  a  case  of  strenuous 
labour  and  hardship  in  the  present  with  hopes  for  the 
future,  and  it  was  necessary  to  continually  add  to  capital 
what  amounts  could  be  saved  from  individual  wages. 
The  firm  struggled  and  persevered  against  many  odds 


366  OUR  PRESIDENTS 

until  a  measure  of  success  was  achieved.  When  the 
use  of  elastic  webbing  went  out  of  fashion,  the  manu- 
facture of  other  textile  fabrics  was  introduced,  and  the 
business  became  soundly  established  and  fairly  pros- 
perous. Subsequently  the  firm  removed  to  extensive 
premises  on  the  Foleshill  Road,  where  they  continue 
under  the  style  of  Dubock,  Jones,  and  Co.,  the  only 
remaining  members  of  the  original  partnership  being 
]\Ir.  Jones  and  Mr.  Dubock.  Like  other  men  whose 
careers  have  been  handicapped  by  their  youthful 
disabilities,  Mr.  Jones  has  always  been  intensely  con- 
cerned in  education.  For  a  time  he  was  one  of  the 
managers  of  St.  Peter's  National  Schools.  He  was  for 
some  years  a  member  of  the  Coventry  School  Board, 
from  which  he  passed  to  the  Education  Committee 
when  the  local  authorities  were  re-constituted  under 
the  Act  of  1902.  He  became  vice-chairman,  and  from 
1911  to  1914  he  was  the  elected  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee. Not  only  as  member  of  public  bodies,  but  in 
many  other  capacities  he  has  assisted  in  education, 
by  promotion  of  popular  lectures  and  other  means. 
Since  1912  he  has  represented  Stoke  Ward  in  the  City 
Council,  and  in  July,  1913,  he  was  placed  in  the 
Commission  of  the  Peace  for  Coventry. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Jones  was  of  the  right  sort  of 
stuff  to  make  a  good,  active  co-operator  ;  he  had  shown 
"  grit,"  his  experiences  had  brought  home  to  him  the 
necessit}^  of  measures  for  the  uplifting  of  the  working 
classes,  and  that  these  measures  must  be  taken  by  the 
working  classes  themselves.  He  already  believed  in  the 
co-operative  principle,  and  he  saw  the  movement  was 
calculated  to  benefit  him  and  others  in  the  same  social 


OUR  PRESIDENTS  367 

rank.  On  the  29th  January,  1870,  therefore,  he  joined 
the  Coventr}'  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society.  In 
the  following  July  he  was  elected  to  a  casual  vacancy 
in  the  committee,  and  with  the  exception  of  one  break, 
due  to  his  own  voHtion,  in  1886,  he  has  been  a  committee- 
man ever  since.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a  member 
of  the  committee  of  the  education  department,  for  a 
long  time  its  chairman,  and  alwa3^s  a  supporter  of  its 
well-considered  activities. 

In  1 881  Mr.  Jones  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of 
the  society,  when  its  circumstances  were  not  very 
favourable.  Several  important  measures  were  adopted 
during  the  next  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  he  resigned 
for  reasons  unconnected  with  the  society,  but  in  the 
behef  that  the  society  would  benefit  by  a  change.  In 
1899  Mr.  Jones  was  again  elected  president,  and  he  still 
remains  the  members'  choice  for  the  position.  Many  of 
the  important  steps  which  have  been  taken  since 
]\Ir.  Jones's  second  accession  are  mentioned  elsewhere 
in  this  book,  but  it  may  be  stated  that  during  this  period 
of  office  the  annual  sales  have  increased  from  £85, 751 
to  considerably  over  half  a  million  sterling.  What  that 
fact  means  only  those  who  have  been  charged  with 
managerial  responsibihties  can  tell. 

Mr.  Jones,  who  is  remarkably  active  for  his  75  years, 
is  ever  in  favour  of  rational  enterprise,  and  he  can  see 
ahead  as  far  as  most  people.  He  has  strongly  supported 
the  society's  evening  school,  and  when  measures  for 
brightening  the  lives  of  the  people  are  under  discussion 
his  attitude  may  as  a  rule  be  safely  forecasted. 

Mr.  Jones  is  a  Progressive.  He  has  been  a  great 
reader,  and  this  fact,  coupled  with  his  life  experience, 
personal   thinking,   feeling  and   acting,  has  given  him 


368  OUR   PRESIDENTS 

that  "  true  knowledge  which  grows  from  a  hving  root 
in  the  thinking  soul."  He  has  been  brought  into  contact 
with  the  actualities  of  life,  and  has  been  a  close  observer. 
He  has  no  limited  outlook,  and  he  shows  great  tolerance 
for  the  sincere  views  of  others.  His  desire  and  capacity 
for  work  may  naturally  abate,  but  he  is  far  from  having 
arrived  at  a  rest-and-be-thankful  state  :  he  would  never 
be  content  with  a  life  of  idleness. 

During  his  prolonged  period  of  co-operative  activities 
and  prominence  of  position,  Mr.  Jones  has  of  course 
been  frequently  called  upon  to  speak  in  public.  He 
made  his  debut  at  a  village  meeting  forty-six  years  ago, 
and  it  is  officially  recorded  that  his  was  "  a  telling 
speech  which  was  well  received."  This  was  the  more 
remarkable,  as  Mr.  Jones  had  had  no  training  or  practice 
in  any  young  men's  class  or  debating  society.  It  cannot, 
however,  be  claimed  that  he  is  an  orator — rhetorical 
fireworks  or  flights  of  eloquence  are  beyond  his  sphere. 
He  reads — he  thinks — he  feels — and  therefore  has 
something  to  say.  He  says  it — and  says  it  in  his  own 
way.  He  speaks  as  he  feels,  and  he  is  always  listened 
to.  He  thus  fulfils  the  first  condition  of  effective  public 
speech.  On  the  21st  August  last,  at  the  distribution 
of  prizes  to  students  of  the  Society's  evening  school,  he 
delivered  an  address  which  was  admittedly  impressive. 
While  speaking  of  the  value  of  the  school  and  encouraging 
the  students,  he  looked  to  the  future  ;  he  foresaw  great 
changes  in  our  system  of  education  after  the  war,  and 
he  advised  young  people  to  be  prepared  for  them,  to 
take  advantage  of  every  facility  for  improving  them- 
selves, and  thus  do  their  part  in  making  for  national 
efficiency.  It  was  an  earnest  address,  and  in  Mr.  Jones 
earnestness  has  always  been  a  conspicuous  quality. 


Chapter  XLVI. 


A  Secretarial  Trio. 


I.  Mr.  Alfred  C.  Scrivener    -        -    1867-1870 

II.   Mr.  Arthur  L.  Xewbold    -        -    1876-1879 

III.  Mr.  George  Jarrams  -     1871,  1S73-6,  1879 


Mr.  Scrivener. 

]\Ir.  Alfred  C.  Scrivener  was  the  son  of  Mr.  James 
Scrivener,  a  Coventry-  watchmaker,  well  known  in  the 
Nonconformist  musical  world,  and  an  original  member 
of  the  societ}'.  A  young  man  of  character  and  ability, 
Mr.  Alfred  C.  Scrivener,  at  the  time  a  clerk  in  the  office 
at  the  Coventry  Gas  Works,  was  most  suitable  for  the 
post  of  secretary ;  he  started  the  book-keeping  on  a  sound 
system,  and  was  of  great  assistance  in  the  initial  stages 
of  the  society.  At  the  end  of  1870  he  resigned.  He 
afterwards  received  an  appointment  with  the  Wigan 
Coal  and  Iron  Company,  and  removing  from  his  native 
city,  resided  for  many  years  at  Birmingham. 

In  1872  he  undertook  an  investigation  into  the  societ\''s 
affairs,  and  furnished  a  report  on  which  the  committee 
took  drastic  action. 


370  A    SECRETARL\L   TRIO 

Mr.  Scrivener  ever  retained  an  interest  in  the  society. 
Being  communicated  with  concerning  its  early  history, 
on  February  4th,  1916,  he  wrote  a  letter  which  has  a 
tragic  interest.  Mr,  Scrivener  said  he  was  ill  and  obliged 
to  let  everything  go  outside  the  demands  of  business, 
the  difficulties  having  been  intensified  by  his  being 
without  clerks  for  a  fortnight,  and  he  asked  "  Could 
Mr.  Jones  make  it  convenient  to  come  over  and  have  a 
chat  with  me  ?  "  That  letter,  his  son  states,  was 
probably  the  last  one  Mr.  Scrivener  ever  wrote,  as  he 
died  next  morning,  suddenly,  from  a  heart  attack,  and 
was  buried  on  February  9th. 

Mr.  Scrivener  married  a  daughter  of  Mr.  T.  G.  Read, 
who  is  mentioned  in  the  chapter  on  "  Starting  the 
Society." 

Mr.  Newbold. 

Mr.  Arthur  Lamb  Newbold  was  also  a  Coventry  man 
his  parents  being  engaged  in  the  ribbon  trade. 

At  the  time  of  his  appointment  he  was  a  cohector 
for  the  Coventry  Gas  Company,  passing  with  their 
undertaking  into  the  service  of  the  Corporation  in 
1884.  He,  too,  was  well  known  as  possessing  great 
ability,  and  he  energetically  worked  for  an  increased 
membership.  The  erection  and  opening  of  the  society's 
stores  in  West  Orchard  took  place  during  his  secretary- 
ship. In  1879  h^'  with  the  president  (Mr.  Hepworth), 
was  compelled  to  resign,  owing  to  the  pressure  of  anti- 
co-operative  customers  of  the  Gas  Company. 

A  few  years  ago,  in  consequence  of  ill-health,  Mr. 
Newbold  removed  to  Southend,  where  he  died. 


MR.    G.    JARRAMS    (SECRETARY). 


A    SECRETARIAL    TRIO  373 

Mr.  Jarrams. 

Mr.  George  Jarrams,  a  son  of  Mr.  William  Jarrams, 
for  many  years  in  the  service  of  the  London  and  North- 
western Railway  Company,  and  first  attendance  officer 
of  the  Coventry  School  Board,  was  bom  at  Railway 
Cottages,  Warwick  Road,  Coventry,  on  February  13th, 
1850. 

Educated  first  at  the  Boys'  British  School,  King 
Street,  and  afterwards  at  Baker,  Billing,  and  Crow's 
Endowed  School,  Cow  Lane,  Mr.  Jarrams  was  appren- 
ticed for  seven  years  to  Messrs.  Carter  and  Phillips,  a 
prominent  firm  of  ribbon  manufacturers,  and  became 
a  freeman  of  the  city.  He  had  not  completed  his 
apprenticeship,  when  on  January  17th,  1871,  he  was 
appointed  secretary  of  the  society  in  succession  to 
Mr.  Scrivener,  being  then  under  21  years  of  age.  He 
held  office  for  seven  months  ;  assuming  it  again  on 
February  4th,  1873,  at  a  critical  time  in  the  society's 
affairs.  After  about  three  years'  service,  however, 
he  resigned,  and  subsequently  joined  the  staff  of  Mr. 
Frank  Barnwell,  ribbon  and  trimming  manufacturer, 
Priory  Row. 

In  March,  1879,  ^^^  secretaryship  again  became 
vacant,  and  the  committee  invited  applications  for  the 
post  of  whole-time  secretary  and  manager.  Mr.  Jarrams 
had  not  only  proved  himself  during  his  previous  periods 
of  service  as  secretary,  but  he  had  also  time  after  time 
been  elected  auditor.  At  the  age  of  29,  therefore,  he 
was  exceedingly  well  qualified  for  the  post  ;  and  from 
a  goodly  number  of  candidates,  which  included  several 
other  well-known  co-operators,  he  was  selected  and 
almost  unanimously  appointed. 


374  A    SECRETARIAL    TRIO 

With  what  efficiency  and  acceptabihty  to  all  con- 
cerned Mr.  Jarrams  has  tilled  his  responsible  office, 
many  people  know  ;  but  at  what  personal  painstaking 
and  not  infrequent  self-sacrifice  few  can  comprehend. 

A  word  which  has  come  into  familiar  use  is  "  swank," 
meaning  affectation,  show,  swagger,  boastfulness, 
aggressive  self-assertion.  The  Germans  are  not  entirely 
innocent  of  these  vices,  and  call  them  "  schwank  !  " 
Now  all  that  the  term  signifies,  whether  of  the  British 
or  German  kind,  Mr.  Jarrams  is  not  :  he  never  asks  for 
the  limelight  to  be  turned  on  him.  He  is  just — Mr. 
Jarrams. 

The  work  behind  the  scenes  is  of  vital  importance 
to  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society  ; 
and  Mr.  Jarrams  has  laboured  abundantly.  If  there 
be  room  for  criticism  at  all,  it  might  be  suggested  that 
his  shrinking  from  publicity,  and  his  usual  reserve  of 
speech  are  not  always  understandable.  He  is,  however, 
not  a  talker  ;  his  forte,  as  Artemus  Ward,  the  American 
humorist,  would  say,  is  "  doing."  Official  utterances  of 
course  he  is  called  upon  to  make  ;  but  in  the  making  of 
them  there  is  an  entire  absence  of  egotism.  When  he 
speaks  it  is  for  edification.  His  statements  are  reliable  — 
and  reliability  sums  up  the  man. 

Mr.  Jarrams  has  never  measured  his  exertions  by  his 
payment  ;  "  early  closing  "  of  his  personal  work  depart- 
ment is  not  provided  for  in  any  Act  of  Parliament,  nor 
is  the  phrase  likely  to  be  entered  in  his  private 
vocabulary.  He  is  a  co-operator  both  in  spirit  and  by 
conviction  ;  the  principles  and  possibilities  of  Co-opera- 
tion are  to  him  a  perennial  inspiration ;  he  has  continuously 
devoted  himself  to  the  society's  interests  for  38  years. 


A    SECRETARIAL    TRIO  375 

From  small  beginnings,  when  in  one  person  were 
combined  secretary,  manager,  cashier,  clerk,  and 
correspondent,  the  society  has  grown  until  now  there  is 
a  large  and  well-organised  staff,  with  various  heads  of 
departments,  and  the  accounts  are  constantly  examined 
by  a  public  auditor.  The  offices  are  a  hive  of  human 
industry-. 

Those  who  have  worked  longest  with  Mr.  Jarrams 
know  him  best.  To  give  deserved  honour  is  ever  a 
pleasurable  duty ;  and  the  committee  gladly  bear 
testimony  to  the  official  and  personal  worth  of  the 
secretary,  Mr.  George  Jarrams. 


Chapter  XLVIl. 


Reminiscences — Grave  and  Gay. 
I. 

"  The  feast  of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul." — Pope. 

BY  a  happy  inspiration  the  committee  were  led 
to  invite  certain  veteran  co-operators  to  meet 
with  them  and  converse  about  the  early  days 
of  the  Perseverance  Society. 

On  April  ist,  1916,  there  thus  met  the  committee  : 
Mr.  T.  H.  Adams. 
Mr.  Arthur  Harris. 
Mr.  J.  T.  Lower. 
Mr.  Henry  Penn. 

The  chair  was  occupied  by  Councillor  Wm.  Jones,  J. P., 
president  of   the   society,   who   was   supported   by 
Mr.  James  Crompton,  J. P. 
Mr.  George  Jarrams,  Secretary. 
Mr.  James    Clay,    secretary    of    the    Educational 
Committee,  etc. 

The  committee  found  delight  in  being  the  hosts, 
whilst  the  guests  manifested  youthfulness  of  heart 
and  faithfulness  to  the  cause.  The  pioneer  period  of 
Co-operation  in  Coventry  belonged  to  a  past  generation. 


REMINISCENXES  — GRAVE    AND    GAY  377 

Nevertheless,  recollections  were  vivid,  the  conference 
animated  ;  and  the  meeting  proved  to  be  in  many  ways 
advantageous. 

What  follows  is  necessarily  a  summary,  and  gives  but 
a  faint  indication  of  the  vivacity  of  the  companv. 

The  chairman  began  by  explaining  that  early  in  191 7 
the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Society  would 
complete  the  fiftieth  year  of  its  existence,  as  the  first 
store  was  opened  on  April  5th,  1S67.  The  committee 
were  of  opinion  that  the  Jubilee  should  be  properly 
celebrated,  and  one  means  they  had  thought  of  was  a 
book  containing  the  history  of  the  society,  which  would 
be  circulated  among  the  members.  Probably  several 
meetings  of  this  kind  might  be  found  desirable,  as 
recollections  would  be  stirred,  and  much  information 
forthcoming,  by  way  of  supplement  to  the  minute  books. 

Mr.  Lower  :  Mr.  Joseph  Hepworth  was  undoubtedlv 
the  "  father  "  of  this  society.  It  really  originated  in  a 
sort  of  mutual  improvement  class  which  we  held  in  a 
small  room  at  the  back  of  West  Orchard  Chapel.  A  few 
of  us  used  to  meet  there  occasionally,  and  one  would 
write  a  paper  and  the  others  present  would  be  asked  to 
discuss  it.  We  were  all  of  us  earning  a  very  small  wage 
at  the  time,  and  we  began  by  saving  a  very  small  sum 
such  as  6d.  per  week.  Mr.  Hepworth  had  been  associated 
with  the  movement  for  some  time,  and  he  used  to  give 
us  his  experiences.  We  began  with  the  intention  of 
making  ourselves  our  own  employers,  and  although  our 
minds  were  not  set  on  any  particular  trade,  we  were 
most  of  us  engaged  in  the  watch  trade.  We  found  out, 
however,  that  it  would  be  many  years  before  we  could 
save  enough  capital  to  make  a  start.     Therefore,  with 


378  REMINISCENCES — GRAVE   AND    GAY 

the  example  of  the  Rochdale  Pioneers  in  our  minds, 
we  concluded  that  the  best  thing  we  could  do  would  be 
to  save  money  and  endeavour  to  supply  ourselves  with 
the  necessaries  of  life. 

When  we  did  decide  to  form  a  Co-operative  Society, 
we  had  to  get  a  lot  more  into  the  class  than  we  had 
at  first.  When  we  started  the  first  co-operative  store 
in  Cook  Street,  we  knew  that  we  should  not  be  able  to 
employ  anyone  to  do  the  work.  The  committee  there- 
fore used  to  meet  every  night  for  about  two  or  three 
hours,  and  in  turns  do  the  shop-keeping,  weighing-up, 
carrying  parcels  home,  etc.,  not  only  for  themselves  but 
for  other  people  as  well.  This  is  a  rough  outline  of  how 
the  society  started,  and  this  is  how  it  was  carried  on 
for  the  first  twelve  months.  We  then  saw  the  shop  in 
Bishop  Street,  which  was  very  queer  at  the  time  ;  it 
had  tiny  windows  and  no  baker's  oven.  We  decided 
to  take  this  shop  on  a  lease,  and  we  engaged  a  man 
named  Bradbury  to  do  the  baking  and  to  deliver  the 
bread  to  members  all  over  the  town,  while  his  wife 
looked  after  the  shop.  We  paid  this  man  the  magnificent 
sum  of  25s.  a  week,  and  continued  on  these  lines  for 
some  eighteen  months.  Mr.  Hepworth  never  spared 
himself,  neither  did  any  of  the  committee  ;  and  when 
we  moved  from  Cook  Street  to  Bishop  Street,  one  or  two 
of  them  devoted  the  whole  of  the  day  to  the  task  of 
removal.  Messrs.  Ansell,  Welsby,  and  Amos  were 
amongst  the  first  committee,  being  also  trustees  of  the 
Foresters,  who  had  a  mortgage  on  the  property  in 
Bishop  Street.  When  the  lease  expired,  the  Foresters 
were  not  anxious  to  renew  it,  so  the  society  took  the 
property  off  their  hands. 


MR.    R.    POTTS    (MANAGER). 


REMINISCENCES — GRAVE   AND    GAY  38I 

The  Secretary  :  The  mortgage  was  conveyed  to  the 
society  through  Messrs.  White  and  Locke,  of  Leamington. 

Mr.  Lower  :  I  am  the  only  remaining  member  of  the 
first  committee. 

Mr.  Penn  :  What  led  me  to  join  the  society  was  that 
for  some  time  I  was  connected  ^\'ith  West  Orchard 
Chapel,  and  I  knew  Mr.  Hepworth  well.  I  joined  his 
Bible  Class,  and  I  never  knew  anyone  who  took  such  a 
great  interest  in  young  men  as  he  did.  One  of  his 
favourite  sayings  was  :  "  Never  ask  anyone  to  do  anything 
that  you  can  do  yourself."  When  the  society  first 
started  it  met  with  a  great  deal  of  opposition.  I  joined 
Mr.  Hep  worth's  class  when  I  was  only  21,  and  I  always 
knew  him  to  be  such  a  good  man.  As  far  as  he  was 
concerned,  I  never  saw  anyone  so  devoted  to  anything 
in  my  life  as  he  was  to  Co-operation.  He  used  to  come 
very  often  and  pray  that  God  would  make  this  society 
a  success.  He  used  to  say  to  us,  "  You  young  men 
make  one  mistake  :  you  think  your  education  has 
finished  when  you  leave  school,  instead  of  which  it  is 
only  just  beginning."  On  one  occasion  he  said  to  me, 
"  You  must  get  a  house  of  your  own  "  ;  and  when  I  did 
get  one  on  the  Foleshill  Road,  he  said,  "  I  don't  know 
how  they  can  build  it  for  the  money."  I  can't  help 
but  speak  of  the  great  interest  he  took  in  young  men, 
and  I  am  sure  he  was  one  of  Coventry's  benefactors. 

Mr.  Lower  :  It  is  very  nice  to  hear  of  a  man  like  Mr. 
Hepworth,  who  was  evidently  the  guiding  star  of  the 
society  ;  but  I  take  it  that  what  we  want  more  than 
anything  now  is  the  history  of  the  society  itself. 

Mr.  Crompton  :  Still,  we  like  to  get  some  idea  of  what 
sort  of  a  man  Mr.  Hepworth  was,  and  Mr.  Penn  has 
given  us  that  idea. 


382  REMINISCENCES — GRAVE   AND    GAY 

Mr.  Lower  :    Mr.  Hepworth  came  from  Yorkshire. 

Mr.  Clay  :  You  would  naturally  think  that  a  man  who 
could  come  into  a  town  with  such  ideas  in  his  head 
must  have  had  previous  experience. 

Mr.  Harris  :  I  cannot  add  much  to  what  Mr.  Penn 
and  Mr.  Lower  have  stated.  I  can  quite  bear  out  what 
has  been  said  of  Mr.  Hepworth,  and  it  is  quite  right  that 
one  of  his  leading  principles  was  to  do  the  greatest  good 
to  the  greatest  number.  When  it  was  pointed  out  to 
him  that  Co-operation  was  bound  to  tread  on  someone's 
toes,  he  said,  "  You  must  do  the  greatest  good  to  the 
greatest  number,"  and  he  did  all  this  work  with  no 
selfish  motive,  as  I  know  he  would  never  take  any  money 
for  what  he  did. 

The  Secretary  :  Yes,  it  is  on  record  that  he  refused 
remuneration  ;    and  I  know  it  is  a  fact. 

Mr.  Harris  :  They  made  me  treasurer,  which  position 
I  held  until  we  were  on  a  sufficiently  broad  footing  to 
take  the  money  to  the  Bank.  I  remember  a  lady  member, 
who  had  the  sum  of  £40  in  the  society,  giving  notice 
to  withdraw  it,  being  afraid  it  was  not  safe.  The 
committee  said  she  could  have  the  money,  and  they  got 
it  together  to  pay  her  ;  but  when  she  came  and  saw  it 
on  the  table  ready  for  her,  she  said  she  did  not  want  it, 
and  would  leave  it  in.  Her  action  was  the  salvation  of 
the  society,  as  this  was  almost  the  whole  of  the  money 
in  the  society,  and  had  she  taken  it  away  in  all  probability 
the  society  would  have  collapsed. 

Mr.  Penn  :  With  reference  to  buying.  Mr.  Hepworth 
once  bought  a  barrel  of  meat  which  cost  £5,  and  he 
thought  he  had  done  a  good  stroke  of  business.  It 
stayed  in  the  yard  for  a  long  time,  and  we  all  wondered 


REMINISCENCES — GRAVE    AND    GAY  383 

what  it  was.  He  said,  "  I  will  have  some  of  this  meat 
taken  out,  and  I  will  prove  that  I  have  done  right  in 
bu}ing  it."  We  were  all  asked  to  take  a  piece  of  it, 
but  no  one  would  except  Mr.  William  Jarrams,  and  as 
it  did  not  go  off  very  weU  it  was  sold  to  a  man  in  Gosford 
Street.  We  used  to  have  the  butter  from  Cumberland 
for  a  long  time,  and  I  remember  one  very  businesslike 
action  of  Mr.  Hepworth's  was,  he  used  to  go  round  the 
market  every  Saturday  night  and  note  the  current  prices, 
so  that  he  could  tell  if  we  were  selling  our  goods  at  a 
fair  price.  He  was  willing  to  get  goods  from  anyone 
and  an}^vhere,  so  long  as  the  quality  was  suitable.  It 
was  discussed  again  and  again  whether  we  should  first 
of  all  open  up  a  place  in  Well  Street  or  West  Orchard, 
and  Mr.  Hepworth  said  that  West  Orchard  was  prefer- 
able. The  Corporation  then  would  not  allow  us  to  build 
over  the  brook,  which  was  a  pity. 

Mr.  Crompton  :  We  are  in  West  Orchard,  and  we  shall 
have  to  stop  here  ;  but  the  plans  are  passed  which  will 
enable  us  to  build  over  the  brook  when  the  time  comes 
for  us  to  do  so. 

Mr.  Adams  :  I  was  also  connected  with  Mr.  Hep- 
worth's  class,  and  I  think  Mr.  Lower  mentioned  6d.  as 
being  the  sum  saved  each  week  ;  but  I  onlv  paid  3d., 
which  was  the  minimum.  There  is  one  man  above  all 
others  who  comes  out  in  my  mind,  and  that  is  Rochester 
Illing\vorth  :  he  was  scarceh^  out  of  his  teens  at  the  time 
he  first  became  connected  with  us.  He  came  from 
Yorkshire,  and  his  father  was  the  first  manager  of  the 
Leigh  Mills.  He  came  from  the  home  of  Co-operation, 
and  was  a  young  man  well  able  to  express  himself. 
Co-operation  had  been   tried  in   Coventry  before,   and 


384  REMINISCENCES— GRAVE    AND    GAY 

although  that  attempt  had  failed,  this  society  started 
soon  after.  The  late  Mr.  Charles  Shufflebotham  lost  a 
considerable  sum  of  money  in  the  old  Co-operative 
society,  and  I  think  it  says  a  great  deal  for  that  family's 
idea  of  Co-operation  that  although  they  lost  rather 
heavily  in  that  society,  as  soon  as  this  one  started  they 
were  amongst  the  first  to  join.  I  was  not  on  the  com- 
mittee, but  I  was  closely  connected  with  them.  They 
required  all  the  assistance  they  could  get,  and  I  took  my 
share  with  the  members  of  the  committee  in  serving  out 
little  articles  in  the  tiny  shop  at  Cook  Street.  I  joined 
the  society  at  its  commencement,  and  I  have  been  a 
member  ever  since,  and  I  am  glad  to  see  the  society  so 
prosperous.  I  think  the  members  of  to-day  have  but 
very  little  conception  of  the  difficulties  we  encountered 
at  the  commencement.  It  caused  Mr.  Hepworth  consider- 
able pain  because  some  of  the  people  to  whom  we  were  in 
opposition  tried  to  get  him  out  of  his  position  at  the  Gas 
Office.  I  must  say  that  Co-operation  injured  many  trades- 
men very  considerably  at  the  time,  and  I  do  not  think  any 
small  tradesman  was  more  hardly  hit  than  I  was  myself. 

Mr.  Lower  :  There  has  been  mention  made  of  a 
co-operative  society  being  in  existence  before  this. 
The  one  I  remember  was  the  Coventry  Labourers  and 
Artisans'  Society  in  Much  Park  Street.  There  was 
also  a  co-operative  society  started  after  ours  at  the  top 
of  St.  Peter's  Street,  and  I  also  believe  there  was  one 
in  the  early  '  thirties.' 

The  Chairman  :  When  I  was  first  made  president  of 
this  society  Mr.  Illingworth  said,  "  Mr.  Jones,  if  ever  you 
want  me,  let  me  know,"  and  he  was  always  most  willing 
to  give  all  the  help  he  could, 


REMINISCENXES— GRAVE   AND    GAY  385 

Mr.  Lower  :  Mr.  Caleb  Ambrose  was  another  very 
good  helper  to  the  society.  He  kept  a  grocer's  shop 
himself,  and  he  was  alwa\^s  willing  to  let  us  have  a 
supply  of  goods  at  a  little  percentage  over  cost  price. 

11. 

A  further  meeting  of  a  similar  character  was  held  on 
Saturday,  July  29th,  1916,  when  additional  interest  was 
given  by  the  presence  of  Mr.  William  Adams. 

Mr.  \V.  E.  Wood  (Chairman  of  the  Educational 
Committee)  and  Mrs.  Chalker  (member  of  the  Educa- 
tional Committee  and  secretary  of  the  Women's 
Co-operative  Guild)   were  also  present. 

The  conference  lasted  with  unflagging  interest  for 
nearly  three  hours.  Naturally,  much  of  the  con- 
versation turned  on  the  scope  and  style  of  the  proposed 
Jubilee  Book.  Many  of  the  suggestions  made  are 
embodied  in  the  work.  Most  of  these,  with  other 
matters  of  ephemeral  nature,  are  therefore  not  recorded. 

Notes  of  the  first  re-union  having  been  read, 

The  Chairman  (Councillor  W.  Jones,  J. P.)  stated  that 
arrangements  had  now  been  made  for  the  preparation 
of  the  Jubilee  Book,  and  this  meeting  had  been  convened 
not  only  for  a  pleasant  re-union  but  for  the  purpose  of 
eliciting,  if  possible,  information  on  certain  matters 
that  were  at  present  obscure.  He  understood  that 
some  questions  would  arise  from  examination  of  the 
early  minute  books  of  the  society. 

It  was  first  pointed  out  that  the  records  of  proceedings 
leading  up  to  the  society's  formation  were  apparently 
not  among  the  archives  of  the  society  ;  and  the  question 
was  asked  :    Does  an}'  gentleman  know  if  the  minutes 


386  REMINISCENCES — GRAVE    AND    GAY 

of  the  preliminary  meetings  are  in  existence,  and  where 
they  are  to  be  found  ? 

For  the  time  being  the  enquiry  seemed  to  be 
fruitless. 

Mr.  Lower  thought  it  possible  that  the  minutes 
mentioned  would  be  among  those  of  the  young  men's 
class  in  which  the  society  originated. 

Mr.  Clay  :  Did  all  of  the  members  of  that  5^oung 
men's  class  join   the  society  ? 

Mr.  Lower  :  Xo  ;  about  twenty-live  of  them  did. 
Six  of  those  who  belonged  to  the  class  never  joined. 
As  soon  as  the  societ}^  started,  several  railway  men 
were  enrolled  as  members. 

Mr.  T.  H.  Adams  :  I  have  some  recollection  of  one 
of  those  preliminary  meetings.  Mr.  William  Jarrams, 
father  of  our  secretary,  was,  as  you  will  remember,  for 
many  ^^ears  a  much-respected  railway  servant.  He  joined 
the  society,  and  undoubtedly  a  number  of  railway  men 
followed  his  example — they  joined  through  his  influence. 

The  Chairman  :  A  great  number  of  railway  men  in 
the  country  have  supported  Co-operation. 

Question  :  On  March  19th,  1867,  a  general  meeting 
was  held,  Mr.  Hepworth  presiding,  and  there  being 
twenty  "  members  "  present.  It  is  stated  that  the 
minutes  of  the  provisional  committee  were  read  and 
confirmed,  and  other  definite  steps  taken.  Evidently 
the  societ}^  was  actually  formed  at  that  meeting  ;  it 
was  then  born,  so  to  speak,  and  twenty-one  persons 
assisted  at  the  birth.  (Laughter.)  The  chairman  called 
upon  "  members  "  to  take  up  shares,  and  fifty-two 
were  taken,  to  be  paid  up  at  once.  The  first  store  was 
opened  for  business  on  the  5th  of  the  next  month- — 


REMINISCENCES-GRAVE    AND    GAY  387 

April,  1867.  Which  date  should  be  considered  the 
society's  birthday  ?      (Laughter.) 

Mr.  Lower  :    I  should  say  the  day  we  started  business. 

Mr.  Clay  :  You  could  hardly  call  it  a  Co-operative 
society  until  it  had  done  something. 

Question  :  Would  not  the  opposite  view  be  the  more 
correct  one  ?  You  could  scarcely  do  business  as  a 
society  until  after  your  society  had  come  into  existence  ? 

Mr.  W.  Adams  :  Should  not  the  date  of  enrolment 
of  the  society  be  considered  its  "  birthday  "  ? 

Question  :  Is  it  not  the  fact  that  many  companies 
are  formed — that  is,  legally  "  bom  " — some  time  before 
they  begin  business  ?  Must  not  a  society  be  constituted 
before  it  can  begin  operations  ?— and  must  not  the 
Perseverance  Society  have  been  formed — that  is,  duly 
constituted — before  it  could  take  a  shop  and  open  a  store  ? 

The  Chairman  :  That  seems  to  be  the  case.  For 
instance,  the  Co-operative  Wholesale  Society  was 
enrolled  in  August,  1863,  but  it  did  not  begin  business 
until  March,  1864 — seven  months  later.  I  should  think 
the  day  on  which  we  constituted  ourselves  a  society, 
and  appointed  officers  and  committee  of  management, 
would  be  really  our  birthday.  Therefore,  as  a  society, 
we  shall  be  fifty  years  old  on  March  19th,  191 7. 

The  view  of  the  chairman  was  unanimously  accepted. 

Question  :  At  the  second  meeting,  26th  March,  i8()7, 
the  name  of  "  Mr.  T.  Read  ';^  appears  as  that  of  a  new 
member  ;  and  he  made  some  encouraging  remarks. 
Was  that  Mr.  T.  G.  Read  \vho  had  been  designated  the 
"  factory  operative  "  ? 

Mr.  Penn  :  It  was.  Mr.  F.  G.  Read  rendered  very 
good  ser^ace  to   the  society,   altliougb   he  had  suffered 


388  REMINISCENXES — GRAVE    AND    GAY 

by  the  earlier  attempts  at  Co-operation.  He  was  a  very 
good  speaker,  and  came  into  promiinence  during  the 
strike  in  the  ribbon  trade  in  i860.  He  always  put  a 
good  feehng  into  our  m^eetings. 

Question  :  There  is  another  point.  At  a  meeting  on 
January  17th,  1871,  Mr.  Hepworth  stated  that  he  had 
made  up  his  mind  to  take  no  remuneration  for  his  services. 
He  appears  to  have  adhered  to  that  determination. 
(Hear,  hear.)  At  the  quarterly  meeting  on  July  20th, 
1875,  it  was  resolved,  on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Jones, 
seconded  by  ]\Ir.  T.  Kirby,  that  a  public  meeting  be 
held,  and  a  presentation  made  to  Mr.  Hepworth 
"  in  acknowledgment  of  his  services  to  the  cause  of 
Co-operation  in  Coventry,"  and  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  carry  out  the  resolution.  So  far,  it  does 
not  appear  from  the  minutes  that  anything  further 
was  done  in  the  matter.  Can  any  gentleman  throw 
light  on  that  point  ? 

For  once,  recollections  were  at  fault  ;  no  one  appearing 
able  to  make  reply. 

[The  presentation  took  place  on  November  22nd, 
1875.— See  Chapter  XV.] 

Mr.  T.  H.  Adams  :  There  is  one  thing  that  has  not 
been  mentioned,  and  that  is  with  regard  to  Mr.  Hep- 
worth's  death.  According  to  my  recollection,  he  went 
to  a  meeting  of  the  Watch  Manufacturing  Society,  and 
was  stricken  and  expired  in  the  meeting  room.  I  think 
some  special  attention  should  be  paid  to  this,  because 
we  can  say  that  it  was  really  through  Co-operation  that 
he  met  his  death. 

QuestiGiier  :  ]^Ir.  Adams  is  quite  correct  in  his  recollec- 
tion.     Mr.  Hepworth  had  only  returned  from  America 


REMINISCENXES — GRAVE    AND    GAY  389 

the  week  prior  to  his  death.  On  Tuesday  evening, 
September  12th,  1893,  there  was  a  meeting  of  the 
Coventry  Co-operative  Watch  Manufacturing  Society, 
at  35,  Mount  Street.  As  you  will  remember,  Mr. 
Hepworth  was  rather  stout,  Mount  Street  is  somewhat 
steep,  and  No.  35  is  nearh^  at  the  top.  Mr.  Hepworth 
attended  the  meeting,  and  during  conversation  was 
suddenly  stricken,  and  died  immediately  from  heart 
failure. 

Mr.  Loii'er  :  He  returned  to  England  on  the  Thursday 
prior  to  his  death.  There  was  a  board  meeting  of  the 
Corn  Mill  in  Nottingham  on  the  Saturdav,  which  he 
was  due  to  attend,  but  he  missed  his  train  and  was  too 
late  for  the  meeting.  He  was  greatly  upset  by  the 
incident,  and  there  is  no  doubt  the  excitement  had 
something  to  do  with  his  end. 

Mr.  Penn  :  I  remember  he  also  had  a  rough  passage 
coming  across  from  America.  I  believe  he  fell  out  of 
his  berth. 

The  Secretary  :  He  was  president  of  the  Midland 
Federal  Corn  Mill. 

Question  :  There  is  an  impression  that  Mr.  Hepworth 
died  a  comparatively  poor  man.      Is  that  correct  ? 

The  Chairman  :  I  think  it  is.  I  know  he  lost  a  good 
deal  through  speculations.  The  Windmill  Hill  Fields 
building  estate  was  a  great  loss  to  him,  and  so  were  the 
sand  pit  and  brick  yard. 

Mr.  Wm.  Adams  :  Mr.  Hepworth  once  said  that 
"  any  fool  could  make  money,"  but  this  })r()ve(l  that  it 
takes  a  wise  man  to  keep  it.     (Hear,  hear.) 

Question  :  It  is  stated  in  the  minutes  that  the  tirst 
meeting     at     the    ni'W    stores    in    Bishop     Street.,    on 


390  REMINISCENCES— GRAVE    AND    GAY 

April  2 1st,  1868,  was  "socially  celebrated"  with  coffee 
and  other  refreshments — (laughter) — the  nature  of  the 
"  other  refreshments  "  not  being  described.     (Laughter.) 

The  Chairman  :  I  think  it  may  be  taken  as  a  fact 
that  the  Hquid  refreshment  was  coffee  only.     (Hear,  hear.) 

Mr.  Wm.  Adams  :  I  remember  that  event  quite  weh. 
The  society  had  no  crockery,  and  to  save  the  expense 
of  hiring,  the  wives  of  members  were  asked  to  bring 
what  crockery  they  could.  (Laughter.)  In  fact  we 
have  some  of  the  crockery  at  our  house  now,  that  was 
used  on  that  occasion.  The  meeting  was  held  over  the 
bakery.      (Laughter.) 

Question  :  As  you  know,  Mr.  Chairman,  a  great  deal 
of  criticism  is  directed  against  the  Co-operative  move- 
ment as  being  a  mere  dividend-making  concern,  and 
there  is  a  danger,  perhaps,  of  the  present  day  co-operators 
looking  too  much  at  the  business  aspect  of  Co-operation. 
But  it  is  evident  from  the  minutes  that  you  have  had 
ideals — business  being  a  means  to  an  end,  that  of  the 
social  and  intellectual  elevation  of  the  people,  and  you 
have  gone  far  in  this  direction.  In  the  proposed  book 
it  is  desirable,  is  it  not,  to  show  how  the  ideals  have  been 
maintained,  and  to  remind  the  members  of  the  fact  ? 

The  Chairman  :  Precisely  so.  We  have  done  a  great 
deal  by  means  of  lectures,  conferences,  evening  schools, 
and  other  efforts.  I  think  the  meeting  quite  svTQpathises 
with  the  view  that  the  ideals  of  Co-operation  should  be 
given  a  proper  place  in  the  book.     (Hear,  hear.) 

Question  :  The  early  ideals  of  Co-operation  were  to 
make  life  more  worth  living,  and  while  devoting  a  great 
deal  of  attention  to  intellectual  advancement,  you  have 
by  no  means  neglected  the  social  side — you  appear  to 


REMIXISCEN'CES — GRAVE    AND    GAY  391 

have  had  some  very  successful  and  enjoyable  gatherings 
here  ? 

The  Chairman  :  That  is  so,  and  particularly  children'- 
gatherings.  What  we  have  done  in  regard  to  music 
is  also  worthy  of  being  recorded.     (Hear,  hear.) 

Mr.  Clay  :  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  Educational 
Committee  was  appointed  in  the  first  place  as  an 
Educational  and  Recreation  Committee. 

The  Chairman  :  Mr.  Clay,  as  secretary  of  the 
Educational  Committee,  will  doubtless  be  able  to  give 
great  assistance  in  that  matter. 

Question  :  It  appears  from  the  minutes  that  as  far 
back  as  1877 — thirty-nine  years  ago — -vou  decided  to 
subscribe  annually  to  the  Coventry  and  Warwickshire 
Hospital.  It  would  be  interesting,  would  it  not,  to 
ascertain  all  the  sums  you  have  subscribed  to  charitable 
purposes  ?  You  appear  to  have  given  a  considerable 
amount  of  mone\'  away  ? 

Mr.  Clay  :  Yes  ;  it  would  be  considerable  in  the 
aggregate. 

Question  :  The  financial  statement  read  at  the  first 
public  meeting  seems  to  show  that  although  you  started 
in  a  small  way,  your  finances  were  placed  on  a  sound 
basis.  First,  you  paid  interest  on  capital  ;  then  you 
depreciated  your  fixed  stock  ;  next  you  set  aside 
something  for  education.  Not  until  you  had  done  these 
things  did  you  pay  a  dividend  on  purchases.  (Hear, 
hear.)  Lastly,  you  retained  a  balance  in  hand  to  carry 
forward.  The  reserve  fund  seems  to  have  been  started 
somewhat  later,  but  still  at  an  early  date,  was  it  not  ? 

Mr.  Loiter  :  Yes  ;  it  was  quite  an  early  date.  I  know 
that  at  about  the  time  we  put  £260  in  the  Federal  Corn 


392  REMINISCENCES — GRAVE   AND   GAY 

Mill  we  began  to  increase  our  reserve  fund  quite  rapidly, 
so  that  when  the  loss  came  we  were  able  to  get  over  it. 

The  Chairman  :  It  will  be  interesting  to  you  to  know 
that  about  two  3^ears  ago  our  auditor  met  the  committee, 
and  we  discussed  with  him  the  financial  state  of  our 
societ}^  He  was  asked  what  he  considered  our  position 
was,  and  he  said  he  knew  of  only  one  society  in  the 
country  that  was  stronger  than  the  Coventry  Perse- 
verance Co-operative  Society  was.      (Hear,  hear.) 

Mr.  Clay  :  The  best  explanation  of  our  financial 
position  I  ever  heard  was  given  by  our  president  at  a 
meeting  some  time  ago.  He  said  if  all  the  members 
were  to  sell  out,  there  would  be  25s.  for  every  pound  a 
member  had  in  the  society.     (Hear,  hear.) 


Chapter  XL\111. 


Ol'r  Legal  Status. 

"  Laws  are  the  very  bulwarks  of  liberty.  They 
define  every  man's  rights,  and  stand  between  and 
defend  the  individual  hberties  of  all  men." 

J.  G.  Holland,  Gold-Foil  IV. 

THE  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative  Societ\' 
is  not  a  friendly  society,  registered  under  the 
Friendly  Societies  Acts,  and  thereby  enjoying 
the  exemptions  and  privileges  which  friendly  societies 
enjoy. 

The  society's  system  is  not  a  form  of  joint-stockism. 
Says  the  Dictionary  of  Political  Economy  :  "To  regard 
the  mechanism  of  the  Co-operative  Movement  as  simply 
an  adaptation  of  '  shopping  '  is  to  completely  mis- 
apprehend its  character.  Equally  erroneous  is  the 
superficial  estimate  of  the  store  system  as  a  form  of 
'  joint  stockism.'  The  store,  it  is  true,  contains  the 
stock-in-trade  of  the  shop,  but  its  social  significance 
lies  in  its  being  the  centre  of  a  consumers'  league,  the 
organised  expression  of  a  social  standard  of  requirements. 

The   constitution   of   the   Co-operative    Society 

is,  after  all,  the  best  guarantee  of  its  social  character. 
If  that  constitution  were  of  a  merely  joint-stock  character, 


394  OUR   LEGAL   STATUS. 

as  is  so  commonly  alleged  by  critics  of  Co-operation, 
we  should  expect  to  find  people  going  into  the  movement 
for  the  acquisition  of  shares,  and  using  their  position  to 
enhance  the  value  of,  and  increase  the  return  upon  their 
holdings.  This,  however,  does  not  happen.  There  is 
never  a  market,  in  the  recognised  sense  of  the  term,  for 
Co-operative  shares.  The  share  list  is  never  closed  to 
new  comers." — Vol.  I,  pp.  418-9. 

Our  society  is  registered  under  the  Industrial  and 
Provident  Societies  Acts. 

In  the  early  days  of  Co-operation  every  individual 
member  was  liable  for  the  whole  of  the  debts  of  a 
society  to  which  he  belonged.  Now  the  liability  of  a 
member  is  limited  to  the  amount  of  the  shares  he  actually 
holds. 

The  rules  of  the  society  are  binding,  and  may  be 
legally  enforced.  Protection  is  given  to  members, 
their  wives,  children,  and  heirs,  in  enforcing  their  just 
claims,  and  against  any  fraudulent  dissolution  of  the 
society. 

Income  tax  is  not  chargeable  on  the  "  profits  "  of  its 
business,  if  the  number  of  the  society's  shares  is  not 
limited. 

The  society  is  a  body  corporate — that  is,  it  can  sue 
and  be  sued  ;  it  can  hold  and  deal  wath  property  of  any 
kind,  including  shares  in  other  societies  or  companies, 
and  land,  to  any  amount,  provided  that  the  Hability 
of  such  other  societies  or  companies  is  not  unlimited. 

Members  are  not  liable,  and  cannot  be  made  liable, 
for  any  debts  contracted  by  the  society  subsequent  to 
the  transfer  or  withdrawal  of  their  shares  ;  nor  can  they 
be  made  liable  for  debts  subsisting  at  the  time  of  the 


OUR    LEGAL    STATUS.  395 

transfer  or  withdrawal  unless  the  other  assets  are  in- 
sufficient to  pay  them,  and  in  such  cases  they  cannot 
be  made  to  pay  more  towards  them  than  the  sum 
remaining  unpaid  on  any  share  which  they  have  either 
expressly  agreed  to  take  or  treated  as  their  property, 
or  which  the  rules  authorise  to  be  treated  as  such. 

Any  persons  above  sixteen  years  of  age  mav  become 
members  and  may  legally  do  any  acts  which  they  could 
do  if  of  full  age,  except  hold  any  office. 

A  society  must  have  its  accounts  audited  at  least 
once  a  year  by  a  public  auditor. 

A  member  has  power  to  hold  up  to  £200  in  the  society, 
and  may  nominate  up  to  £100  of  his  holding  in  the  society 
to  any  persons  to  take  this  investment  at  his  death,  and 
may  revoke  such  nomination. 

(A  us<rful  summary  of  the  Law  relating  to  Societies 
under  the  Industrial  and  Provident  Societies  Act  is 
published  in  the  C.W.S.  Annual,  1916.) 


Chapter  XLIX. 


Co-operators  and  Income  Tax. 

"  Envy  is  blind,  and  knows  nothing  except  how  to 
depreciate  Ihe  excellences  of  others." — Livv. 

OBSER\'ERS  of  public  events  will  have  noticed 
the  gathering  of  forces  for  another  assault  on 
the  Co-operative  position.  The  State's  need 
of  money  is  deemed  to  have  provided  the  enemy  witli  a 
favourable  opportunity,  and  anti-co-operators  are 
promulgating  their  doctrines  under  the  thin  disguise  of 
"  Patriotism."  Forewarned  ought  to  mean  being 
forearmed.  Co-operators  must  actively  prepare  to 
defeat  once  and  for  all  a  powerful  "  combine  "  of  would- 
be  spoliators. 

The  old-new  weapon  is  the  taxation  of  co-operators' 
thrifty  expenditure,  by  imposing  Income  Tax  on 
Co-operative  Societies. 

As  Co-operation  has  already  been  defined  (see  Chap. 
Ill),  and  the  subject  of  Co-operative  Societies  and  Income 
Tax  is  being  fully  discussed  elsewhere,  it  is  proposed  to 
merely  state  and  illustrate  a  few  elementary  principles. 

Income  Tax,  as  the  term  plainly  means,  is  a  com- 
pulsory levy  of  a  definite  portion  of  one's  income  for 
the  service  of  the  State. 


CO-OPERATORS    AND    INCOME    TAX  397 

The  income  of  a  person  is,  of  course,  the  amount  of 
money  he  receives.  It  inchides  salaries,  wages,  prohts 
oi  trade,  rents,  interest  on  investments,  and  the  hke — 
in  short,  income  is  what  comes  in. 

Co-operation,  on  the  other  hand,  is  a  form  of  judicious 
management  of  domestic  finances.  It  relates,  not  to 
what  comes  in,  but  to  what  goes  out  :  it  is  economy  in 
spending.  "  Every  prudent  man  dealeth  with  know- 
ledge," says  Solomon  ;  and  "  a  virtuous  woman  looketh 
well  to  the  ways  of  her  household." 

The  whole  subject  may  be  said  to  be  contained  in 
this  brief  exphcation  of  terms. 

In  Co-operation,  the  members  of  a  society  join  together 
to  buy  their  requirements  wholesale  and  to  serve  to 
themselves  by  retail  ;  after  paying  the  necessary  ex- 
penses of  distribution  they  share  equitably  in  the  saving 
of  expenditure.  Co-operation  is  much  more  than  this, 
of  course  ;  but,  for  the  present  purpose,  onlv  the  business 
aspects  are  under  consideration.  Anti-co-operators  are 
indifferent  to  the  ethics  of  Co-operation,  or  its  contribution 
to  the  social  welfare.  As  before  remarked,  they  are  co- 
operating to  smash  Co-operation,  by  taxing  co-operators 
on  their  outgoings  as  well  as  their  incomings.  Their 
opposition  is  rooted  in  fallacy  and  nourished  on  envv. 

It  is  important  to  keep  in  view  the  distinction  between 
income  and  expenditure,  and  even  at  the  risk  of  needless 
repetition  the  terms  may  be  dehned  again.  Income  i> 
what  comes  in  ;  expenditure  is  what  goes  out.  Income 
Tax  is  a  tax  on  income  ;  Co-operation  deals  with  out- 
goings, or  expenditure. 

This  difference  between  income  and  expenditure  may 
be  familiarly  illustrated. 


39S  CO-OPERATORS    AND    INCOME   TAX 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wagearner  have  a  total  income  of 
£2  los.  od.  a  week.  Of  this  sum  they  have,  say,  30s. 
to  spend  in  procuring  their  household  requirements. 
They  may  spend  the  whole  at  one  ordinary  shop,  if  they 
please  to  do  so  ;  but  the  expenditure  is  net.  By  going 
to  several  shops,  where  prices  are  "  cut,"  and  buying 
"  leading  lines,"  they  save  through  the  generosity  of 
the  "  up-to-date  "  tradesmen  perhaps  a  halfpenny  in 
the  shilling  on  the  whole — equal  to  lod.  in  the  pound, 
or  IS.  3d.  of  their  thirty  shillings.  But  by  joining  the 
GD-operative  Society  and  purchasing  at  their  own  stores 
they  save,  say,  ijd.  in  the  shilling,  or  2s.  6d.  in  the 
pound — equal  to  3s.  gd.  of  their  thirty  shillings.  In 
neither  case  is  there  an  addition  to  the  amount  they 
have  coming  in  ;  that  has  not  been  increased  by  one 
penny,  but  they  get  more  for  their  money.  Ought  such 
economy,  frugahty,  thrifty  deahng,  or  saving  in 
expenditure  to  be  taxed  ?  To  an  unbiassed,  unenvious 
mind  there  can  be  only  one  answer. 

Take  another  illustration.  A  young  couple  arrange 
to  be  married.  They  are  prepared  for  a  first  outlay  of 
£50  in  furnishing  their  happy  home.  They  spend  their 
£50  at  the  shop  of  a  tradesman,  who,  in  consideration 
of  their  paying  cash,  makes  an  abatement  or  gives  a 
discount  of  2 J  per  cent.^£i  5s.  od.  Is  that  sum  of 
25s.  an  addition  to  the  man's  income,  and  ought  it  to 
be  taxed  ?  Certainly  not  !  It  is  merely  a  saving  in 
expenditure. 

Then  take  the  case  of  two  up-to-date  co-operators 
who  also  are  preparing  for  holy  matrimony.  They 
likewise  have  £50  to  expend.  They  go  to  their  own 
furnishing  shop  in  West  Orchard,  lay  out  their  money 


CO-OPERATORS    AND    INXOME    TAX  399 

to  the  best  advantage,  and  pay  cash.  They  do  not 
take  their  rebate  or  discount  at  the  time,  but  at  the 
end  of  the  quarter,  when  the  proportionate  amount  to 
be  returned  has  been  definitely  ascertained.  Instead 
of  2 J  per  cent,  they  receive,  say,  10  per  cent.,  or  2s.  in 
the  pound ^£5.  Is  that  an  addition  to  the  man's 
income  ?  Is  it  trade  prolit  within  the  usual  meaning 
of  the  term  ?  The  only  answer  is  NO  I  it  is  a  saving  of 
expenditure  :  it  is  thrift,  economy-,  prudent  spending. 
Is  it  liable,  or  should  it  be  liable,  to  assessment  for 
Income  Tax  ?  Envious  middlemen  say  Yes  ;  but 
common-sense  says  XO  !  The  Law  says  NO  !  An 
impartial  Departmental  Committee,  after  hearing  both 
sides,  says  XO  I     Official  practice  says  XO  ! 

It  cannot  be  too  emphatically  stated  or  reiterated 
that  income  tax  is  a  tax  on  income  ;  it  is  not,  and  never 
was,  intended  to  be  a  tax  on  prudent  spending. 

As  before  remarked,  instead  of  taking  his  rebates, 
or  discounts,  or  bonuses  at  the  time  of  each  separate 
purchase,  the  co-operator  allows  them  to  accumulate 
for  three  months.  He  then  draws  a  part  of  the  surplus 
in  what  is  conveniently,  but  nevertheless  inaccurately, 
called  "  dividend  "  ;  the  remainder  he  applies  to 
educational  purposes  and  other  forms  of  social  benetit 
as  may  be  determined  by  the  society  of  which  he  is  a 
member.  For  example,  during  1915,  the  Coventrv 
Perseverance  Co-operative  Society  devoted  to  its 
educational  fund  £1,760  7s.  od.  ;  to  national  service 
allowances  for  the  benefit  of  dependents  of  employees, 
£628  i8s.  od.  ;  to  sick  allowances,  £155  5s.  4d.  ;  and 
to  charitable  and  other  objects,  £91  i6s.  od.=total, 
£2,636  6s.  4d. 


400  CO-OPERATORS    AND    INCOME    TAX 

There  are  two  facts  which  should  be  borne  in  mind. 

First — the  nature  of  the  surplus,  collective  discounts, 
or  savings  of  expenditure  is  not  changed  by  being  dealt 
with  quarterly,  instead  of  day  by  day  or  week  by  week. 
Second — equally  with  all  other  classes  of  citizens, 
co-operators  are  assessable  to  income  tax  if  their 
individual  incomes  (not  counting  "  bonus,"  "  rebates," 
"  discounts,"  or  "  dividends  "  on  purchases)  exceed  a 
certain  amount  per  annum.  Income  tax  is  a  tax  on 
incomes  of  all  alike,  whether  they  be  co-operators  or  no. 

The  contentions  of  anti-co-operators  are  only  respect- 
able because  of  their  hoar}^  age  ;  but  they  are  being 
advanced  as  somi^liing  quite  new. 

At  the  Bolton  Co-operative  Congress  in  April,  1872, 
Mr.  Thomas  Hughes,  M.P.  (afterwards  his  Honour 
Judge  Hughes),  addressed  his  presidential  remarks 
fully  to  this  question.  He  stated  that  it  was  an  old 
subject  between  Co-operative  Societies  and  the  Govern- 
ment, and  that  the  retail  traders  in  London  and  else- 
where had  just  formed  a  Tradesmen's  Protection 
Association,  and  had  issued  a  hostile  circular  from  the 
offices  of  the  "  National  Chamber  of  Trade."  He 
pointed  out  the  underlying  fallacy  of  allied  tradesmen 
in  holding  that  they  were  the  only  "  legitimate  "  traders, 
and  that  as  such  they  had  a  vested  interest  in  the  trade 
of  the  nation.  "  The  true  test,"  he  contended,  "  by 
which  the  case  is  to  be  tried,  is  the  public  good  ;  and  it 
must  be  considered  both  from  an  economical  and  moral 
standpoint."  The  rebate,  or  share  of  surplus,  was  not 
a  profit,  but  a  saving  of  expenditure,  which  the 
co-operator  made  by  using  an  economical  method  of 
doinu:  his  own  business. 


CO-OPERATORS    AND    INXOME    TAX  4OI 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  point  had  been  successfullv 
fought  out  by  the  Rochdale  Equitable  Pioneers  in  1856 
(vide  Holyoake's  "  History  of  the  Rochdale  Society.") 

The  case  against  assessment  was  lucidly  summed  up 
by  Mr.  P.  H.  Holland,  in  the  Co-operative  Xeics  of  May 
4th,  1872.      He  said  : — 

"  The  use  of  the  term  profits  instead  of  discount 
gives  rise  to  the  common  idea  that  the  amounts  returned 
to  the  customers  of  co-operative  stores  are  liable  to 
tax. 

"  It  is,  however,  evident  that  such  amounts  are  not 
profits,  but  merely  deduction  of  cost  allowed  to  the 
customer  after  the  real  expenses  of  the  store  have  been 
actually  ascertained,  instead  of  being  estimated  with 
more  or  less  accuracy,  as  ordinary  discounts  usuallv 
are.  If  we  could  be  quite  sure  beforehand  what  balance 
above  expenses  there  would  be  at  the  end  of  the  vear, 
the  so-called  profit  might  be  safely  allowed  in  the  form 
of  immediate  discount  at  the  time  of  purchase  ;  but  as 
estimates  are  always  uncertain,  as  a  matter  of  pmdence 
and  convenience  it  is  safest  and  best  to  retain  the  balance 
until  its  amount  is  ascertained  ;  but  the  amount  paid 
back  to  the  customer  is,  however,  merely  a  deferred 
discount,  and  it  must  be  best  to  give  it  that  name,  and 
so  avoid  all  misapprehension. 

"  If  the  prices  charged  at  a  co-operative  store  were 
the  same  as  those  charged  at  ordinary  shops,  and  part 
of  the  sum  received  were  returned  when  the  account- 
were  made  up,  the  discount  would  be  much  more  than 
equal  to  the  real  profits  the  shopkeepers  could  have 
made  had  the  money  been  spent  with  them,  lor  many 
losses  and  expenses  shopkeepers  must  suffer  and  incur 


402  CO-OPERATORS    AND    INCOME    TAX 

are  not  incurred  by  the  store.  The  store,  which  does 
not  give  credit,  makes  no  bad  debts,  suffers  no  loss  of 
interest  nor  cost  for  collection,  and  need  spend  far  less 
in  show  to  attract  customers.  What  is  returned  to  them 
is  not  income,  but  saving — to  tax  which  would  be 
impolitic  as  well  as  glaringly  unjust." 

A  resolution  passed  at  a  public  meeting  in  Sunderland 
on  17th  November,  1916,  reaffirmed  Mr.  Holland's  view 
of  more  than  forty-four  years  previously,  in  the 
following  terms  : — "  That  this  meeting,  having  regard 
to  the  fact  that  co-operative  '  dividends  '  represent  a 
saving  effected  by  co-operators  by  economical  shop- 
keeping,  and  are  in  no  sense  income,  affirms  its  unshake- 
able  resolve  to  resist  the  imposition  of  the  Income  Tax 
on  such  dividends,  and  calls  upon  the  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer  to  resist  the  pressure  beng  brought  to  bear 
upon  him  towards  that  end." 


For  a  full  consideration  of  the  subject,  reference 
should  be  made  to  articles  in  the  Wheatsheaf  by  Mr.  T.  J. 
Harris  (member  of  the  Coventr\'  Society's  management 
committee)  ;  to  the  publications  of  the  Co-operative 
Union  ;  and  to  the  ably-conducted  journal  of  the 
movement — the  Co-operative  News. 


Chapter  L. 
The  Soul  of  Co-operation. 

The    Ideal    remains    true,    even    if   our   own    little 
picture  of  It  IS  broken.      The  Ideal  is  eternal." 

L.   G.   ]\IOBERLY. 

A  NOTABLE  cartoon  appeared  in  Punch  in  the 
early  days  of  the  Great  War,  entitled 
"  Unconquerable."  It  depicted  the  Kaiser, 
with  the  ruins  of  Belgium  and  a  stream  of  homeless 
people  as  a  background,  in  a  jeering  attitude,  resting 
his  hand  on  the  hilt  of  a  sword  in  its  scabbard,  con- 
fronted by  the  King  of  the  Belgians  standing  erect, 
alert,  his  head  uphfted,  an  expression  of  noble  defiance 
on  his  fine  countenance,  and  in  his  hand  a  naked  sword. 
The  Kaiser  :  "So  you  see — 3'ou've  lost  everything." 
The  King  of  the  Belgians  :    "  Not  my  soul." 

"  Wealthy  and  industrious  Belgium,"  says  Fr. 
Velmirovic,  "  though  she  has  lost  her  body,  has  found 
her  soul.  Never  in  modern  history  has  the  soul  of 
Belgium  been  seen  so  clearly  as  in  this  war,  since  the 
great  trial  came  in  the  form  of  the  German  invasion 
and  the  sore  desolation  of  Maeterlinck's  country." 

"  In  suffering  only  the  true  hero  can  be  recognised," 
says  a  Serbian  proverb  ;  and  notwithstanding  Serbia's 
tragedy,  can  anvonc  doubt  that  the  soul  of  Serbia  is 
still   alive  ? 


404  THE    SOUL    OF    CO-OPERATION 

It  has  been  remarked  that  "  the  German  never 
showed  more  efficient  inefficiency  than  when  he  flouted 
the  soul  of  France"  ("The  Graphic,"  July  14,  1916  : 
"  France's  Day  "). 

"  To-da}',"  says  Mrs.  Cobden-Unwin,  "  the  soldiers  of 
the  Alpini  tell  us  the  spirit  of  Garibaldi  is  there  with 
them  among  the  snow-clad  mountains,  and  he  will, 
they  say,  surely  lead  them  to  victory  "  ("  The  Book  of 
Italy  "). 

Likewise  the  Kingdom  of  Bohemia  has  for  many  long 
vears  suffered  under  Teutonic  oppression  and  persecu- 
tion, attempted  subjugation  and  extermination.  "  The 
crushing  of  Bohemia,"  remarked  the  Times  in  a  review 
of  Dr.  Se ton- Watson's  "  German,  Slav,  and  Magyar  " 
(July  6,  1916)  "  is  an  essential  part  of  the  Pan-Gemian 

programme The    reign    of    terror    in    Bohemia 

and  ^loravia  since  the  beginning  of  the  war  has  not  been 
less  marked  than  in  occupied  Belgium."  But  the  soul 
of  Bohemia  is  not  lost,  and  it  is  not  impossible  that  ere 
long  Bohemia  will  be  reborn  a  free  and  independent 
nation,  working  out  a  great  destiny.  It  has  ideals, 
and  ;he  motto  :  Bxli  jsme  a  Biideme  ! — "  We  have  been 
and  we  shall  be  !  " 

So,  too,  with  the  Co-operative  Movement.  Every 
form  of  opposition  and  attempted  suppression  that 
could  be  devised  has  it  been  called  upon  to  suffer. 
Nevertheless,  it  has  endured,  and  survived,  and  grown. 
If  in  the  main  the  past  fifty  years  have  been  a  period 
of  progress,  they  have  been  a  period  of  struggle,  not  onh' 
in  founding,  establishing,  and  going  forward,  but  in 
overcoming  obstacles  and  withstanding  vicissitudes  of 
no  ordinary  character.     A  merely  selfish,  "  divi-hunting" 


THE    SOUL    OF    CO-OPERATION  4O7 

enterprise  must  have  succumbed  ;  but  Co-operation  has 
been  saved  by  the  \itaHty  of  inherent  principles  :  its 
soul  still  lives. 

Xor  was  the  opposition  always  open  and  direct 
Insinuation,  boycotting,  conspiracies  against  individuals, 
back-stairs  influence,  and  other  de\'ices  have  been 
resorted  to.  Persuasive  inducements  have  likewise  been 
fabricated.  Coupons,  checks,  bonuses,  presents  with 
purchases,  price-cutting — each  in  its  turn  and  occasion- 
ally all  at  one  time  have  been  used,  by  which  customers 
were  attempted  to  be  beguiled  into  the  belief  they  were 
getting  something  for  nothing  :  imitating  the  names  of 
"  Stores,"  specious  publications  in  which  to  puff  their 
goods,  and  so  forth.  What  temporary  success  attended 
these  tricks  of  trade,  it  is  impossible  to  say.  What  is 
essential  is  that  Co-operation  has  withstood  all  attempts 
to  demonstrate  that  individual  or  company  traders 
carried  on  their  business  solely  for  the  benefit  of  the 
pubhc.  Co-operation  was  built  on  a  firm  foundation 
of  economic  principle  :    its  soul  still  lived. 

We  in  the  twentieth  century  can  but  imperfectly 
comprehend  the  difficulties  that  were  encountered  by 
the  working  men  co-operators  in  the  middle  of  the 
nineteenth. 

It  needed  great  faith  and  severe  economy  to  provide 
any  working  capital  wherewith  to  make  a  start  ;  clear 
thinking,  caution,  constant  activity,  watchfulness, 
readiness  to  seize  opportunities  were  required  to  transact 
business  on  sure  hues,  to  arouse  the  public  from  a 
lethargy  sometimes  born  of  despair,  as  well  as  to  meet 
honest  opposition.  Not  alone  had  argument  to  be  met 
by  argument,  but  the  prejudices  of  those  who  had  come 


408  THE    SOUL    OF    CO-OPERATION 

to  think  that  the  rights  of  "  private  "  traders  were  as 
sacred  as  the  "  divine  "  right  of  kings,  had  to  be  swept 
away.  It  cannot  be  denied,  however,  that  some  of  the 
keenest  thinkers  and  ablest  pubhc  men  ol  the  age  have 
supported  the  Co-operative  movement,  and  that  it  lias 
produced  some  of  the  finest  of  personalities. 

Practical  experience  in  novel  spheres  of  activity  had 
to  be  acquired  gradually,  and  often  through  pain  and 
trials  severe  enough  to  test  the  stoutest  optimist. 
Unselfishness  is  the  sheet  anchor  of  the  co-operative 
vessr'l  ;  but  individual  selfishness  here  and  there  cut 
the  cables. 

It  occa'iionally  appeared  as  if  the  body  of  Co-operation 
was  killed.  But  still  the  soul  lived.  The  path  of  social 
reformers  often  led  through  unequal  conflicts  ;  but 
although  co-operators  occasionally  appeared  to  have 
lost  all  materially — and  many,  in  fact,  were  the  personal 
sacrifices — they  adhered  to  their  faith,  they  never  lost 
their  soul. 

In  times  of  distress,  persecution,  and  apparent  defeat, 
new  impulses  spring  forward,  fresh  energies  are  born, 
ideals  are  pursued  with  greater  vigour  ;  and  those  who 
share  in  the  prosperity  of  Co-operation  to-day  are  in- 
debted to  '  labours,  the  sacrifices,  the  optimistic 
endeavours  of  their  forerunners. 

A  true  co-operator  is  necessarily  an  optimist,  and 
optimism  is  defined  as  the  faith  that  leads  to  achievement. 

The  founders  of  our  society  wisely  chose  "  Perse ver- 
a.nce  "  as  part  of  their  title.     And  they  persevered. 

The  beginnings  of  the  societ}^  were  humble  enough — 
progress  was  not  in  any  sense  phenomenal.  But,  as 
Smiles  has  remarked  :   "  The  best  institutions  are  t];"r''^ 


THE    SOUL    OF    CO-OPERATION  4C9 

of  slow  growth,  and  are  shaped  by  experience,  which 
includes  failures  as  well  as  successes  ;  and  ftnallv,  thev 
require  age  to  strengthen  them  and  root  them  in  habit." 
[Thrift,  Ch.  VII.) 

A  parallel  to  the  lofty  idealism  of  the  Belgians  is 
afforded  by  the  loft\'  idealism  of  the  social  reformers  in 
Co-operation.  They,  too,  appeared  at  times  to  have  lost 
everything.  But  the  co-operative  reformer,  when 
taunted,  might  have  replied  "  Not  my  soul  !  " 

Doubtless  many  people  are  attracted  to  co-operative 
stores  by  the  prospect  of  a  "  dividend  "  on  their  pur- 
chases ;  they  study  econom}^  by  wise  spending,  as  being 
their  own  shopkeepers.  But  in  time  they  reaHse  that 
trade  is  only  one  aspect  of  the  far-reaching  ramifications 
and  activities  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co-operative 
Society.  And  that  "'  dividend  "  is  a  misnomer  may  be 
gathered  from  previous  chapters. 

The  fundamental  principles  of  the  co-operative  move- 
ment, however,  are  ethical  and  social  :  moral,  because 
they  underlie  the  dut}^  of  individual  members  towards 
an  organised  body,  and  of  an  organised  body  towards 
individual  members  :  "  Each  for  all,  and  all  for  each." 
And  they  are  social  because  they  imderlie  efforts  at 
reform  or  betterment  of  the  position  and  conditions  of 
the  civilised  body  of  mankind. 

Thus  in  the  educational  work  of  the  societv,  not  onlv 
have  general  subjects  been  taught,  but  special  subjects, 
such  as  political  economy,  "  duties  of  citizenship,"  and 
ambulance  work,  sick  nursing,  and  kindred  branches  of 
study  have  been  given  a  prominent  place. 

And  that  the  soul  of  Co-operation  has  not  been  lost 
in    the   later   materially   prosperous   time   of   Coventry 


410  THE    SOUL    OF    CO-OPERATION 

must  be  admitted  by  an  unprejudiced  and  dispassionate 
student  of  the  past  work  of  the  society  and  of  its  present 
operations. 

In  this  connection  attention  may  be  directed  to  the 
chapters  on  the  Education  Committee,  which  has 
existed  since  April,  1874  ;  the  Women's  Guild,  started 
in  1884  ;  the  support  given  to  various  institutions  and 
movements  for  the  relief  of  suffering  humanity  ;  and 
generally  for  the  advancement  of  the  public  weal. 

Nor  have  these  altruistic  manifestations  been  merely 
sporadic  or  ephemeral  :  they  have  been  gradual, 
sustained,  consistent  growing  indications  of  the  life  of 
the  unselfish  soul  of  Co-operation. 

Of  each  of  the  sincere,  brave,  persevering  pioneers  of 
Co-operation  in  Coventry  and  of  their  successors,  may  it 
not  b'^  said  with  Emerson  ("  The  Problem  ") — 

"  He  Ijuilded  better  than  he  knew  ; — 
The  conscious  stone  to  beautv  grew." 

And  is  it  not  the  duty  of  the  inheritors  of  the  great 

enterprise  which  has  been  so  hardly  won  to  keep  the 

soul  of  Co-operation  alive  ? 


Epilogue. 
Addressed  by  the  Management  Committee  to  the  Members. 


IN  this  book  is  related  "  Our  Story  "  of  the  origin, 
rise,  and  development  of  the  Coventry  Perse- 
verance  Co-operative   Society,   Ltd. 

From  small  beginnings,  with  at  certain  periods  slow 
progress,  and  despite  errors  of  judgment  and  misfortunes, 
our  society  has  grown  until  it  has  exceeded  all  anticipa- 
tions. That  it  has  been  and  is  a  power  in  the  city  cannot 
be  gainsaid.  While  it  has  greatly  advantaged  its  members 
it  has  benefited  the  citizens  generally  ;  and  few  can  deny 
that  in  Co-operation  there  is  a  remedy  for  many  existing 
anomalies. 

These  are  anxious  times  for  all  subjects  of  the  British 
Empire.  Especialh'  are  they  so  to  co-operators,  who 
have  given  freely  of  their  manhood  and  their  savings  for 
the  preservation  of  their  country. 

We  have  still  more  serious  times  ahead.  We  must 
be  prepared  for  economic  warfare.  We  must  be  whole- 
hearted in  adherence  to  our  cause  ;  we  must  thoroughly 
acquaint  ourselves  with  every  phase  of  the  subject  of 
Co-operation,  both  for  and  against ;  we  must  clearly  and 
undauntedly  advocate  our  ideals  ;  we  must  stoutly 
contend  for  every  one  of  our  rights  and  pri\41eges  in  law 
and  equity ;   and  resolutely  persevere  in  going  forward. 


412  EPILOGUE 

What  the  future  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance 
Co-operative  Society  shall  be  depends  primarily  on  the 
spirit  and  conduct  of  every  individual  member.  We 
must  be  true  to  our  own  name — "  Perseverance  " — and 
to  the  motto  of  the  Co-operative  movement — "  Each  for 
all,  and  all  for  each." 

In  paying  tribute  to  the  lives  and  labours  of  those 
who  have  gone  before  us,  and  those  pioneers  who  still 
remain,  we  may  express  the  hope  that  our  society  will 
continue  to  prosper,  that  its  highest  ideals  wih  be 
realised,  and  that  ere  the  Coventry  Perseverance 
Co-operative  Society  attains  to  its  Diamond  Jubilee 
there  shall  have  been  ushered  in  an  era  of  universal 
peace  and  goodwill. 

We  appeal  to  you  all  to  act  well  your  parts. 
Signed — 

\\'iLLiAM  Jones,  President. 

George  Jarrams,  Secretary. 

Richard  Potts,  Manager. 

James  Clay. 

William  Marston. 

Thomas  Lines. 

Richard  vStynes. 

Thomas  James  Harris. 

Edward  Cundliffe. 

William  Henry  Rose. 

Mary  A.  Keene. 

Fred  Whit:\iore. 

Annie  E.  Corrie. 
West  Orchard, 

Coventry, 

January,  19 17. 


Appendix. 


THE  one  hundred  and  ninety-ninth  quarter!}^ 
report — from  September  5th  to  December  2nd, 
1916 — presented  at  the  meeting  in  the  Stevens 
Memorial  Hall  on  Tuesday.  January  ibth.  1917,  was  as 
follows  : — 

"  Half-yearly  balance  sheets  having  been  adopted, 
this  quarter  we  only  give  the  summary  of  sales  for  the 
three  months.  These  are  £187,598  12s.  2M.,  an 
increase  of  /3o,362  is.  6kl.  over  the  corresponding 
quarter  of  last  year. 

"  Number  of  members  admitted,  ()5i  ;  withdrawn, 
271  ;    present  numb:'r  on  books,  22,941. 

"  We  have  received  as  subscriptions  during  the  quarter 
£14,435  7s.  lod.,  and  paid  as  withdrawals  £23,501  2s.  qd. 

"  Penny  Savings  Bank  subscriptions,  £2S^  15s.  2d.  ; 
withdrawals,  £277  i8s.  4M. 

"  Advanced  to  members  on  house  property,  £700  ; 
repayments  received,  £1,897   17s.   5d. 

"  Reserve  fund  is  £20,258  7s.  7d. 

"  Your  committee  recommend  that  an  interim 
dividend  be  paid  this  quarter  of  2s.  in  the  })()un«l.  When 
stocks  are  taken  next  quarter,  and  the  result  of  the  half- 
year's  trade  known,  the  di\idrnd  will  be  in  accordance 
with  results. 


414  APPENDIX 

"  The  quarter  has  been  most  trying  for  your  com- 
mittee and  management.  The  disorganisation  of  our 
staff,  occasioned  by  military  requirements,  and  continued 
shortage  of  supplies,  have  made  it  impossible  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  our  members  ;  nor  is  there  any  prospect 
of  things  improving,  particularly  as  that  practically  all 
suppHes  being  in  the  keeping  of  private  interests  we  do 
not  stand  to  gain  most  favoured  treatment  from  those 
in  control. 

"  Most  seriously,  too,  have  we  been  hit  by  the 
iniquitous  application  of  the  excess  profits  tax  ;  and  as 
the  committee  are  asking  all  members  to  sign  a  petition 
upon  this  subject,  they  desire  to  take  this  opportunity 
to  acquaint  members  how  they  as  co-operators  stand  in 
relation  to  that  tax. 

"  In  the  first  place,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
income  tax  is  solely  a  tax  upon  individuals,  and  that  a 
proposal  made  in  1904  before  a  Government  Committee 
of  Investigation  to  make  of  co-operative  societies  a  unit 
basis  for  income  tax  was  characterised  by  that  com- 
mittee as  unjust. 

"  Secondly,  that  the  '  profit  '  from  which  dividend 
is  paid  was  declared  by  that  committee  as  being  not 
profit  in  the  generally  accepted  meaning  of  the  word, 
but  savings  ;  dividend  being  in  essence  deferred  discount. 

"  Thirdly,  that  the  excess  profits  tax,  as  applied  to 
private  traders,  companies,  and  corporations,  allows 
them,  firstly,  a  start  before  it  begins  to  count,  and, 
secondly,  a  40  per  cent,  share  of  the  spoil  they  obtain 
from  the  public. 

"  Fourthly,  that  for  the  purpose  of  this  tax  co-opera- 
tive societies  have  been  made  the  unit  basis. 


APPENDIX  415 

"  On  the  inception  of  this  tax  the  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer  made  what  was  termed  a  concession,  that 
instead  of  levying  the  tax  on  the  bulk  surplus  it  is  levied 
on  the  average  rate  per  member.  As  applied  to  the 
Coventry  Society  it  works  out  as  follows  :  Our  pre-war 
'  profit  '  is  returned  as  £2  i6s.  od.  per  member,  re- 
presenting an  annual  average  purchase  of  £22  8s.  od. 
Therefore,  if  prices  had  remained  normal,  any  increased 
trade  done  by  members  would  have  been  penalised. 
But  the  increase  shown  in  pounds  sterling  does  not 
represent  increase  in  quantity  of  goods  sold,  but  less. 
In  the  first  place,  we  pay  an  excess  price  for  all  goods, 
due  to  increased  cost  of  freightage  and  handling  and 
market  manipulations  ;  where  this  has  resulted  in 
extra  taxable  prohts  in  the  businesses  concerned  it  is 
we  who  have  paid  them.  With  the  40  per  cent,  share 
to  the  food  barons,  and  because  we  have  been  thus 
exploited,  we  are  again  called  upon  to  pay  a  second 
instalment. 

"  If  there  is  any  other  word  than  '  unjust  '  that 
characterises  this  proceeding,  we  should  like  to  know  it. 

"  The  committee  hope,  therefore,  that  members  when 
called  upon  \vi\\  straightway  sign  the  petition  and  help 
the  canvassers  in  seeing  that  no  one  member  escapes 
the  necessary  interview. 

"  In  conclusion,  the  committee  are  doing,  and  will 
continue  to  do,  their  best  to  make  the  present  dif^culties 
as  light  as  possible  to  members,  and  would  remind 
members  that  the  life  of  all  institutions  is  made  good 
by  their  ability  to  overcome  adversity.  With  the 
continued  loyalty  and  support  of  our  members  the 
committee  look  forward  with  confidence,  that  when  the 


4l6  APPENDIX 

present  dark  cloud  is  lifted  from  our  national  life  the 
Co-operative  movement  will  make  strong  strides  towards 
its  destin\\  and  that  among  the  leaders  the  Coventry 
Society  shall  take  no  unworthy  place." 

The  committee  made  the  following  recommendations  : 
That  £2  2s.  be  voted  to  Royal  Orthopaedic  and  Spinal 
Hospital  ;  £3  3s.  to  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of 
Cruelty'  to  Children  ;  £2  2s.  to  the  Coventry  Ragged 
Schools  ;  £1  IS.  to  the  Kenilworth  Convalescent  Home  ; 
£5  to  the  Poor  Children's  Boot  Fund  ;  £1  is.  subscrip- 
tion to  Mansion  House  Association  ;  £5  5s.  to  the 
Coventry  Care  and  Maternity  Committee  ;  £10  los.  to 
the  Central  Committees  of  Women's  Guild. 

The  report  and  recommendations  were  adopted. 

200TH  Quarterly  Report  and  Meeting. 

The  report  of  the  Committee  for  tlie  cjuarter  ended 
bth  March,  1917,  was  accompanied  by  the  half-yearly 
balance  sheet. 

The  essential  paragraphs  of  the  report  were  the 
following;  : — 

"  Your  Committee  herewith  place  hi  your  hands  the 
result  of  the  working  for  half-year  ending  March,  1917, 
and  trust  it  will  meet  with  your  approval. 

"  The  sales  are  £379,238  is.  lo-jd.,  an  increase  over 
the  same  period  of  last  year  of  £68,261  17s.  yd.  The 
profits  are  £46,044  is.  2d.  Interim  dividend  paid 
December  was  £18,451  8s.  od.,  thus  leaving  £27,592 
13s.  2d.  Your  Committee  recommend  a  dividend  of 
2s.  in  the  £,  which  will  require  £18,700  ;  to  Educational 
Fund,   £1,171   13s.  od.  ;    to  provide  for  Excess  Prohts 


APPENDIX  417 

from  March  to  September,  1916,  £4,750  ;  and  carry 
forward  £2,971  os.  2d. 

"  Number  of  members  admitted  during  quarter,  860  ; 
withdrawn,  296  ;   present  number  on  books,  23,505. 

"  We  have  received  as  subscriptions  £26,603  i8s.  3d. 
Withdrawals  have  been  £66,537  12s.  9d. 

"  House  Purchase  Department  Rules. — We  have  ad- 
vanced £3,559,  and  the  repayments  have  been  £4,960 
I2s.  4d. 

"  The  Reserve  Fund  is  now  £18,699  ^^^-  ^d. 

"  Property  and  Fixed  and  Rolling  Stock  have  cost 
the  Society  £144,239  5s.  od.  We  have  depreciated  this 
bv  £60,002  13s.  2d.,  and  the  nominal  value  is  £84,236 
lis.  lod. 

"  Balance  at  Bank  on  deposit  is  £31,823  i6s.  3d., 
and  on  current  account  £14,309  12s.  5d. 

"  You  are  being  waited  on  to  sign  a  petition  protesting 
against  the  Excess  Profits  Tax,  which,  when  complete, 
will  be  sent  in  to  the  proper  authorities.  We  have  paid 
this  quarter  £6,674,  which  covers  nine  months  to  March, 
1916.  We  are  providing  £4,750  out  of  this  quarter's 
profits,  which  will  clear  us  to  September,  1916,  and  there 
will  be  a  further  amount  due  from  this  quarter's  profits. 

"  The  Committee  still  find  great  difficulty  in  getting 
supplies  of  most  goods,  and  the  number  still  increases. 
W'e  must  ask  you  to  bear  with  us  in  the  difficultv,  and 
we  will  do  all  possible  to  meet  your  requirements. 
More  men  are  leaving  our  employ  for  military  purposes, 
and  this  also  increases  our  difficulties." 

The  following  figures  are  abstracted  from  the  summary 
of  sales  for  the  half-year  : — 


4l8  APPENDIX 

;^  S.  d.  i  S.        d. 

Groceries 222,630     3     5 

Bread    61,300     3     1^ 

Milk 17,394     8  0* 

Confectionery 3,094   1 1      5^ 

304,439     6     0^ 


Drapery    18,325  1 1  9i 

Millinery 4,349  13  1\ 

Tailoring 2,169  8  4 

Outfitting     8.121  2  5 

Boots    10,703  13  2 


Coal 

Furniture . 


43,669 

25,793 
5,335 

9 

9 

17 

4 

4 
2 

;^379,238 

1 

10-J 

Total  Sales  for  Half-year  . 


The  following  figures  were  appended  to  the  balance 
sheet  : — 

i  s.  d. 

Trade,  March  (half-year),  1917     379,238  1  10^ 

Increase  this  quarter  over  March,  1916 37,899  16     0 

Increase  of  Members  this  quarter — 564. 

Share  Capital  of  Society    304,146  19     0 

Reserve  Fund  of  Society 18,699  1 1     2 

Advanced  to  Members  upon  House  Property  73,783  13  11 

The  200th  quarterly  meeting  of  members  was  held  in 
the  Stevens  Memorial  Hall,  New  Buildings,  on  Tuesday 
evening,  April  17th,   1917. 

The  President  (Councillor  Jones,  J. P.)  being  unwell, 
the  Committee  arranged  for  Mr.  James  Clay  to  take  the 
chair. 

A  considerable  number  of  members  attended,  and 
anticipations  of  unusually  interesting  proceedings  were 
realised  during  a  long  and  animated  discussion  on  the 


APPENDIX  419 

report  and  balance  sheet.  Keen  and  forceful,  the 
criticism  was  mainly  directed  to  "  the  policy  or  want  of 
policy  "  of  the  committee  on  one  particular  subject. 
Constitutionally,  it  was  argued,  the  members  in  meeting 
assembled  were  the  directors  of  the  general  policy  of 
the  society  ;  but  the  committee  had  apparently  failed 
to  recognise  that  fact. 

Chief  complaint  was  made  with  respect  to  the  tax  on 
excess  profits,  whereby  it  was  contended  the  members 
had  first  to  pay  taxes  as  citizens,  and  again  as  co-opera- 
tors. The  view  was  expressed  that  the  committee  ought 
to  have  so  regulated  prices  as  to  have  obviated  the 
difficulty,  dividend-producing  not  being  a  primary 
object  of  Co-operation.  In  this  connection  it  was  alleged 
that  the  resolution  of  the  members  six  months  previously 
had  been  ignored  {vide  Chapter  XXXVIII,  section 
headed  "  Excess  Profits  Duty  ").  Bulk  profits  were 
even  larger.  The  meeting  ought  to  be  told  where  the 
profits  had  been  made,  and  why  the  members  should 
be  exploited  for  the  purpose  of  providing  money  for 
unjust  taxation.  It  was  absurd  to  ask  for  the  signing 
of  a  document  praying  that  the  excess  profits  duty 
should  not  be  imposed,  while  the  committee  were  plainly 
showing  the  Government  what  a  profitable  field  of 
taxation  Co-operation  was  !  Societies  in  other  towns, 
notably  Birmingham,  had  taken  effectual  steps  in  the 
matter,  and  wh}^  should  not  the  Coventry  Society  have 
done  likewise  ? 

Another  grievance  concerned  trading  with  non- 
members,  it  being  stated  that  outsiders  had  been 
supplied  with  goods,  of  which  loyal  members  had  to 
go  short.      Dissatisfaction  was  also  expressed  with  the 


420  APPENDIX 

coal  business,  a  number  of  district  depots  being  sug- 
gested. In  several  directions  it  was  sought  to  be  shown 
that  "  the  Committee  had  not  risen  to  the  occasion," 
that  in  some  respects  their  methods  were  not  satisfactory, 
and  that  the  present  organisation  of  the  society's  trade 
was  not  perfect. 

Councillor  Poole,  Mr.  W.  T.  Newlove,  Mr.  A.  G. 
Carter,  and  others  took  part  in  the  discussion,  for  which 
the  utmost  freedom  was  allowed.  Three  circumstances 
are  worthy  of  note,  viz.  : — No  complaint  was  made  of 
the  quahty  of  the  goods  supplied  by  the  stores  ;  no  vote 
of  censure  or  want  of  confidence  was  moved  ;  nor  was 
the  report  proposed  to  be  amended. 

Replying  on  the  Committee's  behalf,  the  chairman 
was  courteous  and  conciliatory.  Far  from  resenting 
criticism,  he  valued  it.  To  suggest,  however,  that  the 
committee  had  ignored  the  resolution  referred  to,  and 
taken  no  steps  to  fulfil  the  wishes  of  the  members  in 
meeting  assembled,  was  going  too  far.  The  committee 
admitted  that  in  what  they  had  done  they  had  failed, 
but  it  was  not  for  want  of  trying.  They  certainly  had 
not  been,  and  did  not  intend  to  be,  supine  in  the  matter. 
It  was  exceedingly  difficult  in  the  continually  varying 
state  of  the  markets  to  adjust  prices  ;  but  the  com- 
mittee had  flatly  refused  to  raise  the  price  ot  bread, 
as  the  general  bakeis  of  the  city  had  wished  them  to  do. 
Moreover,  they  had  reduced  the  dividend  twice,  and  some 
of  them  desired  no  further  reduction  if  it  could  be  avoided. 
If  asked  whether  they  considered  the  balance  sheet 
satisfactory^  the  committee  would  at  once  answer  that 
they  were  not  satisfied  with  it,  and  tliey  admitted  that 
in  the  chief  matter  in  question  they  had  not  arhif\'id 


APPENDIX  421 

success.  The  committee  had,  however,  given  the  subject 
the  most  anxious  and  prolonged  consideration,  and  had 
thought  it  better  to  fight  the  Excess  Profits  Duty  than 
evade  it.  They  had  decided  upon  a  certain  course,  and 
had  been  disappointed.  As  to  the  general  administration 
he  pointed  to  the  unexampled  difiiculties  caused  by  the 
war,  the  constant  depletion  of  the  staft"  bv  military 
requirements,  and  the  consequent  frequent  changes, 
when  experienced  persons  had  to  be  replaced  by  persons 
of  no  experience.  The  suggestion  of  district  coal  depots 
had  been  found  impracticable,  as  more  labour  would  be 
required  than  was  available.  In  other  departments 
they  had  utihsed  female  labour  very  largelv,  and  the 
women  had  worked  splendidly  ;  but  no  one  would  wish 
to  see  women  employed  in  the  coal  trade.  He  pointed 
out  that  not  only  were  they  short  of  labour,  but  there 
were  times  when  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  supplies. 
On  behalf  of  the  committee  he  promised  that  all  points 
which  had  been  raised  and  the  various  suggestions  made 
should  be  carefully  considered. 

The  chairman  afterwards  mxoved  the  adoption  of  the 
report  and  balance  sheet,  asking  the  meeting  to  realise 
the  simple  fact  that  although  the  committee  might  not 
be  able  to  accomplish  everything  they  desired,  they 
had  but  one  object  in  view,  whiclj  was  the  benefit  of  the 
society  and  the  members  at  large. 

Councillor  Poole,  although  expressing  himself  as  still 
dissatisfied,  seconded  the  motion,  which  was  carried 
with  hardly  audible  dissent. 

On  the  recommendation  of  the  Committee  the  meeting 
voted  the  following  sums  of  money  to  the  objects 
named  : — 


422  APPENDIX 

i  5.  d. 

Coventry  District  Association 1  I  0 

Society    for   tlie    Prevention    of   Cruelty    to 

Animals    1  1  0 

Co-operative  International  Alliance 2  0  0 

Queen's  Hospital,  Birmingham     2  2  0 

Coventry  Police  Court  Mission 2  2  (> 

Institute    for    Soldiers,    Co-operative    Hall, 

Great  Yarmouth 0  10  6 

Devonshire     Hospital,     Buxton,     for 

Rheumatism,  etc 5  5  0 

Girls'  Hostel,  Coventry 5  5  0 

Mavor's   Fund — ^Lord   Roberts'   Scheme   fc^ 

'  Wounded  Soldiers 50  0  0 


X69     6     6 


Subsequently  the  members  confnmed  the  purchase  of 
the  residence  known  as  Leipzig  House,  29,  White  Street, 
which,  it  was  explained,  would  be  of  great  advantage 
in  that  the  site  adjoined  the  Society's  bakery  in  Cox 
Street. 

This  business  closed  an  animated  and  memorable 
two  hours'  meeting,  a  record  of  which  completes  the 
Jubilee  History  of  the  Coventry  Perseverance  Co- 
operative Society. 


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